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Library of Congress. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Chap 



,W3 



Shelf 

9—404 



THE 



CAMP-FIRES 



OF 



NAPOLEON: 



COMPRISING 



THE MOST BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENTS 



OP THE 



EMPEROR AND HIS MARSHALS. 



BY HENRY C. WATSON. 



PHILADELPHIA : 
H. C. PECK & THEO. BLISS. 

1867. 




Entered According to the Act of Congress, in the year 1854, 

BY H. C. PECK & THEO. BLISS, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of 

Pennsylvania. 

B .m . 

^ Voi 



"9* • 




PREFACE 



HE vivid pictures of war, however 
ensanguined, have a wonderful at- 
traction for the mass of men. They 
stir the heart like a trumpet. No 
narratives are so generally perused 
with avidity as those of " feats of 
broils and battles ;" for in them, in 
spite of many disgusting features, 
there is always something to excite a pleasing thrill. We 
love excitement, and it seems that it is to war, and the 




VI PREFACE. 

descriptions of its varied scenes of danger, during which the 
faculties of the combatants are roused to extraordinary 
strength, that most look for the gratification of their natural 
desires. We have heard of many persons who, in the abstract, 
condemn all wars as brutal and degrading to humanity, 
peruse, with unwearied attention, narratives of the cam- 
paigns of great generals, and dwell upon their details with 
evident manifestations of delight. The passion is irresistible. 

In this work, the author has endeavored to present to the 
mental eye, more vividly than the so-termed dignity of ordi- 
nary history permits, the most striking scenes and remarkable 
personages of Napoleon's astonishing career of glory — to 
show the greatest warrior of any age in the field, and at the 
nightly bivouacs — upon the fertile plains of Piedmont — 
in the shadow of the Egyptian pyramids — amid the forests 
of Germany, and on the frozen plains of Russia — surrounded 
by his galaxy of splendid generals, his military family — to 
illustrate a passage in the history of Europe, which, for 
stirring scenes and powerful characters, has, perhaps, no 
parallel. From the camp-fire at Toulon, where the young 
lieutenant of artillery gave the first impression of his wonder- 
ful genius, till the terrible night of darkness and death fol- 
lowing the battle of Waterloo, the career of Napoleon is 
traced by his bivouacs ; and around each watch-fire is grouped 
the incidents of the conflicts which there occurred. The 
salient points in the life of the great warrior are, therefore, 
illumined, so as to fix them in the memory. 

Who can know the incidents of that career of glory without 
astonishment ? We find a genius, under the smile of fortune, 
rising from the ranks of the people to the summit of despotic 
power — surpassing the generalship of Hannibal — the states- 
manship of Caesar, and performing exploits, which, before 
his time, were placed among the impossible. There is im- 
perishable interest attached to every event in the lifeof such 



PREFACE. 



Vll 



a character ; and, therefore, no work which honestly aims to 
illustrate them can be considered superfluous. 

It is hoped that the numerous engravings will add to the 
attractions of the book, and render its word-pictures clearer 
and more perfect to the mind. Their value is so well estab- 
lished, that the time is approaching when few historical 
works will be published without such illustrations. 





CONTENTS 



CAMP-FIRE OF TOULON, 13 

CAMP-FIRE OF MONTE-NOTTE, 19 

CAMP-FIRE OF MONDOVI, 26 

CAMP-FIRE OF THE BRIDGE OF LODI, 37 

CAMP-FIRE OF CASTIGLIONE, - - - - _ 46 
CAMP-FIRE OF ARCOLA, - - - - - - - .53 

CAMP-FIRE OF RIVOLI, 69 

CAMP-FIRE OF THE ALPS, 79 

CAMP-FIRE OF THE NILE, - - 89 

CAMP-FIRE OF MOUNT TABOR, 98 

CAMP-FIRE OF ABOUKIR, HO 

CAMP-FIRE OF THE VALLEY OF AOSTA, - - - - 121 

CAMP-FIRE OF MARENGO, 139 

CAMP-FIRE OF ULM, 156 

CAMP-FIRE OF AUSTERLITZ, 163 

2 (ix) 



X CONTENTS. 

CAMP-FIRE OF PALENY, 180 

CAMP-FIRE OF JENA, - - 186 

CAMP-FIRE OF THE NAREW, - - 210 

CAMP-FIRE OF EYLAU, - - 218 

CAMP-FIRE OF FRIEDLAND, - - 239 

CAMP-FIRE OF MADRID, 260 

CAMP-FIRE OF RATISBON, -------- 266 

CAMP-FIRES OF ASPERN AND ESSLING, 275 

CAMP-FIRE OF WAGRAM. - - - 282 

CAMP-FIRE OF NIEMEN, - 291 

CAMP-FIRE OF WITEPSK, 298 

CAMP-FIRE OF SMOLENSKOi - - - - - - - 305 

CAMP-FIRE OF WIASMA, - - - - - - - - 317 

CAMP-FIRE OF BORODINO, - - - - - - - 326 

CAMP-FIRE OF MOSCOW, 348 

CAMP-FIRE OF MALO-YAROSLAVETZ, - - - - - 362 

CAMP-FIRE IN THE SNOW, ------- 371 

CAMP-FIRE AT KRASNOE, - - - 389 

CAMP-FIRE OF BORYSTHENES, - - 397 

THE LAST CAMP-FIRES IN RUSSIA, - 404 

CAMP-FIRE OF LUTZEN, - - - - - - - - 413 

CAMP-FIRE OF BAUTZEN, - - - ■ 417 

CAMP-FIRE OF MONTEREAU, - - - - - - - 421 

CAMP-FIRE OF ARCIS, - - - - . - - - 427 

CAMP-FIRE OF WATERLOO. - - 434 





LIST OF PRINCIPAL EMBELLISHMENTS. 

NAPOLEON CROSSING THE ALPS, - Frontispiece. 

THE CAMP-FIRE AT EYLAU, Title. 

BATTERY OF THE MEN WITHOUT FEAR, - - - - 13 

BATTLE OF MONTE-NOTTE, - 19 

MARSHAL MURAT, --------- 33 

NAPOLEON INFORMED OF HIS ELECTION AS CORPORAL, - 42 

NAPOLEON AT THE BRIDGE OF ARCOLA, - - - 58 

NAPOLEON'S ARRIVAL IN EGYPT, 89 

NAPOLEON AT THE PYRAMIDS, 93 

BATTLE OF THE PYRAMIDS, - 94 

NAPOLEON ENTERING CAIRO, 97 

NAPOLEON AT MOUNT TABOR, - - 98 

MARSHAL JUNOT, - 101 

NAPOLEON AT ACRE, » - - - - 105 

BONAPARTE AS FIRST CONSUL, - - - - - 133 

(xi) 



Xll LIST OF PRINCIPAL EMBELLISHMENTS. 

THE CAMP-EIRE AT ULM, - - - - - - - 159 

NAPOLEON AT JENA, - - - - . - - - - - 136 

CAMP SCENE ON THE EVENING BEFORE THE BATTLE OF 

AUSTERLITZ, 171 

BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ, 177 

THE CAMP-FIRE ON THE NAREW, 214 

THE CAMP-FIRE AT FRIEDLAND, - - - - - - 258 

MARSHAL LANNES, - - - - - - - - - 269 

BATTLE OF ESSLING, 275 

NAPOLEON AT WIASMA, - - - - - - - 817 

NAPOLEON AT KRASNOE, - 389 

NAPOLEON AT MONTEREAU, - - 421 

BATTLE OF WATERLOO, - - - - - - - - 434 

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, - - - - - - 444 

DEATH OF NAPOLEON. - - - - - - - .448 





BATTERY OF THE MEN WITHOUT FEAR. Page 13. 




tfeib ®Mas>«[pa[Ei air iF®E!k®a 




^3 T was the night of the 
19th of December, 
1793. A sky of 
darkness, unbroken 
by the twinkling of 
a single star, arched over 
the town and harbor of 
Toulon. But on the rugged 
heights of Balagrier and 
L'Equillette, where the En- 
glish had vainly constructed their " Little Gibraltar," 
the watch-fires of the French beseigers were redly 

(13) 



£^s^»*^r*fc-i 



14 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

burning ; sending up showers of sparks, which looked 
like rising stars against the intense blackness of the 
heavens. It was the 19th of December, and the fate 
of Toulon, which for four months had lingered in the 
balance, was decided. Britons, Spaniards, Neapolitans 
and French — a garrison of the enemies of the republic — 
had fought in vain. The "Little Gibraltar," which 
commanded the town and harbor was in the hands of 
the French ; their troops were even forcing their way 
into the town, and consternation had seized those who 
dared to oppose the decrees of the Committee of Safety, 
as well as those who had so promptly tendered them 
aid. The evacuation of Toulon had been hurriedly re- 
solved ; and now, as the red gleam of the watch-fires 
and the blaze of the thundering artillery shone upon 
the dark waters of the bay, crowds of trembling people 
could be seen embarking in vessels of all kinds, glad 
to avail themselves of the protection of the English 
fleet, to escape the bloody revenge of the triumphant 
republicans. 

The batteries of the " Little Gibraltar," were already 
sending a shower of death upon the hostile fleet in the 
roadstead. On a rock, by a small blazing fire, and just 
above a battery, a form could be dimly seen through 
the smoke of the guns, which was destined to rise as a 
terrible image before the eyes of Europe, as it stood 
now, the conqueror of the foes of France, at Toulon. It 
was a slender form, on which the costume of a com- 
mandant of artillery hung loosely. But the inexorable 
resolution of the pale face, and the keen, quick flashes 
of the eagle eyes, caused those who gazed to forget all 



TOULON. 15 

but awe and wonder before this genius of war. Occa- 
sionally, between the reports of the heavy guns, could 
be heard the shrill voice of command, which none re- 
fused to obey — it would be obeyed. Those eyes had 
seen where to strike, and that voice had commanded, 
the blow which brought Toulon to the feet of the re- 
public. The commander was Napoleon Bonaparte, the 
young Corsican — the pet of Paoli — the child cradled 
amid the civil wars of his native island — who had made 
the cannon his toy — and who had been educated to war 
at the military school of Brienne. A subordinate, he 
had compelled his superior officers to bow before the 
oracles of his genius. One after another they had 
yielded, till the last, General Dugommier, a brave old 
warrior, acknowledged his artillery officer as the con- 
queror of Toulon. 

That was a proud moment for the young Napoleon. 
He knew that the triumph was secured, and that to him, 
alone, it was due ; for his plan had prevailed against 
the ignorant and imbecile schemes of the republic's 
generals, and his devices for rousing an irresistible en- 
thusiasm in the troops, — such as naming a battery 
in a desperate position, the battery " des homines sans 
peur" had rendered the execution of that plan complete. 
And now the enemy were preparing for flight — precipi- 
tate flight. 

"A cooler aim — cut down a flag, brave Junot!" 
commands the shrill voice, amid the thunder of the 
guns, and the dusky, slovenly looking artillery man on 
the right of the battery, fronting Napoleon, steadily 
watches for a moment when the red glare shall show 



16 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

him a portion of the fleet in the roadstead. A glimpse 
of the cross of St. George ! Loud thunders the gun, 
and at the next vivid glare, the flag falls ; and amid the 
roar of the storm of death rises the cheer of the artillery 
men. 

" Well done, Junot !" exclaimed the shrill voice. The 
slovenly man who brought down the cross of St. George 
was Andoche Junot, afterwards Marshal of France and 
Duke d'Abrantes, whose cool courage had more than 
once won the commendation of the commandant during 
this memorable siege. 

But now occurred a scene which caused the fire of 
the " Little Gibraltar," to slacken. Even as Napoleon 
spoke to Junot, he discovered a spreading flame in the 
harbor, and in a few moments, great tongues of fire 
licked the air in front of the town, and lit up the scene 
for miles around with a terrible brilliancy. The En- 
glish and Spaniards, under the direction of Sir Sydney 
Smith, had set fire to the arsenal, the stores, and the 
French ships which they could not remove. The rising 
flames, growing redder and redder, seemed at length 
like the glowing crater of a volcano, amid which could 
be seen the masts and yards of the burning vessels, and 
the advance of the republican troops who were at- 
tempting to force their way into the town. The waters 
of the bay resembled streams of lava flowing from the 
mountains and hills around the town, which, themselves 
glowed like living coals. The Jacobins in the town 
now arose to take revenge upon the flying royalists. 
Horrid screams and yells, cries and entreaties rang upon 
the air like sounds from the infernal regions, while in 



TOULON. 1 7 

the midst of all could be heard the swelling chorus of 
the Marseillais. The guns of Malbosquet were turned 
upon the town, and their thunder increased the uproai 
of this terrible scene. Suddenly, a tremendous explo- 
sion, as if a mountain had been shattered to its base by 
a bolt from heaven, shocked the air, and even caused 
the stern men under the eye of Napoleon to tremble. 
Hundreds of barrels of powder had exploded, and high 
above the harbor, the air was filled with the blazing 
fragments, which descended even among the batteries 
of the "Little Gibraltar," causing the men to spring 
about to save themselves from the fire. Again that 
awful shock was given, a second magazine had exploded, 
and again the air seemed fairly alive with soaring fires, 
which threatened destruction when they fell. Frag- 
ments fell at the very feet of Napoleon, but he stood 
still, as a statue of resolution, a man without fear. His 
eyes were fixed upon the British fleet, which, by the 
red glare of earth and sky, could be seen slowly making 
sail, the decks of the vessels being crowded with fugi- 
tives. Once more he commanded the artillery to fire ; 
and before the fleet got beyond the range of the guns, 
it received a shower of balls. The triumph was now 
complete. 

Wearied officers and men now threw themselves upon 
the ground to rest, beside the fire. But to most of 
them, sleep could not come, with such a scene of terror, 
conflagration and tears before them. Napoleon, how- 
ever, surveyed the harbor and town, for a few moments, 
and then, stretching himself upon the ground, com- 
manded himself to slumber, — a faculty which he pos- 

3 



18 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

sessed through life — an evidence of his astonishing force 
of will. 

The day dawned with a pale, ashen light. The roll 
of the drums, resounding among the hills, roused the 
triumphant soldiers of the republic ; and as they gazed 
upon the smouldering ruins of the arsenal, and the bay 
strewn with the black fragments of the ships destroyed, 
they would have cursed their enemy ; but they remem- 
bered their conquest, and pitied the destructive spite. 
Cheer after cheer rent the air. The artillery men 
crowded round their young chief, and with clamorous 
congratulations, gave him the first evidence of that en- 
thusiastic aifection, which, years afterwards, caused them 
to yearn to die in his sendee — to pave with their bodies 
his path to victory. "What thoughts — what feelings 
burned within that young conqueror's breast none could 
know ; for his stern, bronze countenance expressed no- 
thing but his concentred strength of resolution. The 
same day, General Dugommier sent intelligence of the 
capture of Toulon to the Committee of Public Safety, 
and in the despatch he particularly recommended Napo- 
leon for promotion, in these remarkable words, — 
" Promote him, or he will promote himself," 





■arias sMap-iFiii&s m wmm s©wis, 



HE pure, bright 
moon shone with 
serene majesty 
in the soft, dark 
blue of the Ita- 
lian sky, dim- 
ming the light of 
the silver stars, 
in her own calm 
glory. The rug- 
ged heights of Monte Notte, with here and there a 
tower and wall, or a row of trees upon its broken ascent, 
and the two small villages at, its base, surrounded with 
groves and vineyards, were revealed with scarce the 
variation of a shadow. They would have seemed to 

(19) 




20 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

sleep beneath the soothing influence of the night, hut 
for the numerous red fires, which burned here and there 
along the mountain side, and at intervals for the distance 
of half a mile from its base; and the occasional booming 
of a gun, with its grumbling echoes. At a considerable 
distance in front could be seen the lights of the redoubts 
upon the heights of Monte* Legino, which throughout 
the day, under the command of the indomitable Colonel 
Rampon, had withstood the furious assaults of the Aus- 
trians under d'Argenteau, the commander preferring to 
perish rather than capitulate. His resolution had saved 
the plans of Bonaparte from receiving a check, and now 
the young general of the French felt sure of his game. 
Around the watch-fires to which we have alluded 
were gathered the half-fed, half-clothed, but enthusiastic 
troops of the divisions commanded by La Harpe and 
Cervoni, who had united and marched to this strong 
position in the rear of Monte Legino, in accordance with 
the plans of Bonaparte. The general-in-chief was with 
them, for near this place he anticipated the triumph of 
his wonderful combinations, and the defeat of the Aus- 
trians. Most of the principal officers were quartered 
in the villages, resting from the fatigues of a rapid march. 
But the time was too critical for Bonaparte to think of 
sleep. He was abroad among those camp-fires, accom- 
panied by the brave and active Swiss, La Harpe, that 
faithful and untiring friend, Michael Duroc, then aid- 
de-camp to the young general, and several ,other officers 
of distinction. As he walked among them, he looked 
like a mere boy attending a throng of rough and hardy 
soldiers. To each group gathered round a fire, he had 



MQ3TTE XQTTE. 21 

a pleasant and encouraging word to say, a condescen- 
sion to which these war-worn veterans were unacccus- 
tomecL As he turned away from them he might have 
heard expressions which showed that the troops believed 
in his invincibihty, and at all .events, were prepared to 
suffer any hardships in Ms service. The wretched 
clothing of many of them was observed by the general, 
and he occasionally reminded them, that they had now 
an opportunity of winning not only glory, which every 
true soldier should seek first, but wealth and abundance, 
amid the fertile plains of Italy. Such words, uttered 
by a commander among the camp-fires of an army are 
calculated to have more effect in arousing its enthu- 
siasm than the most eloquent of regular and formal ad- 
dresses. At length, arriving at a fire much larger than 
any of the others upon the side of the mountain, Bona- 
parte threw himself upon the ground, and, motioning 
his officers to follow his example, he took out the plan 
of operations, which he had drawn up, and began with 
his usual precision,' to explain how far it had been carried 
out, and what would be the movements of the next day. 
In the meantime the soldiers, grim, moustached veterans, 
withdrew and set about kindling another fire at a re- 
spectful distance. 

" Augereau will reach this point early in the morning, 
and render efficient support to the troops already in 
position. Marching by this road on the other side of 
the Appenines, Massena will show himself, nearly at 
the same time, in d'Argenteau's rear, and then the Aus- 
trians cannot escape us. They will be surrounded on 
all sides by a superior force- 



22 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

" Th '- far it has been successful," said La Harpe. 
" But if Rampon had not fought so desperately at Monte 
Legino, the plan would have' been defeated, or at least, 
checked for a time." 

" Rampon fought bravely ; but when such a plan do 
pends upon the maintenance of a post, a good officer 
should prefer to die rather than yield it to the enemy," 
replied Bonaparte. 

" Rampon fought Eke a hero because he knew the 
importance of his position," said Duroc. 

" I trust Massena will be as active as the occasion 
demands. He has courage, perseverance, and skill ; but 
it requires the most imminent danger to awaken his 
activity," said the young commander-in-chief. 

" A singular man, truly," remarked Duroc. 

" However," continued Bonaparte, following the train 
of his own reflections, u never had a commander-in-chief 
more reason to be proud of his general officers than 
myself. They are all men born to lead. With them, I 
have nothing to fear from the delinquency of our half- 
fed troops." 

"Yet, general, the soldiers are in a condition calcu- 
lated to depress their spirits," said La Harpe. " We 
officers, who chiefly fight for glory, and for the honor 
of our country, never murmur, although very badly ' 
treated by our government. But the majority of the 
soldiers in the ranks have a constant eye to their pay." 

" But to make soldiers worthy of France, we must 
alter that;" replied Bonaparte, "one and all must be 
taught to fight for glory, and then our arms will be 
irresistible." 



MONTE XOTTE. 23 

La Harpe shook his head. But the enthusiastic Duroc, 
catching the noble fire of his illustrious friend, exclaimed. 

" Yes, the love of glory makes the true soldier ! This 
will cause the troops to forget their toilsome, bare-foot 
marches, and their long days of hunger ! And never 
have I seen the French soldiers more eager for conflict 
in defence of their country's honor, than they have been 
since our young general took command of the army of 
Italy. That first proclamation gave them a new spirit, 
which has been growing stronger every day. There 
are splendid triumphs before us, I am sure." 

The face of Bonaparte expressed nothing of the emo- 
tions which must have heaved in his soul at these words. 
But he grasped the hand of Duroc and shook it warmly. 

" My friends," said he, " it is all clear enough to me. 
To-morrow will be a great day for France. Old Beau- 
lieu will begin to know his enemy. The plain before 
us shall be the scene of more Austrian astonishment and 
dismay than has been known in Italy for many years. 
Beaulieu supposes that I intended to file off along the 
coast to Genoa ; whereas, here I am, ready to over- 
whelm his centre. Following up this victory, it will 
be easy to cut him off from communication with the 
Pieclmontese." 

The officers gazed with wonder and admiration upon 
the stripling who was thus summarily disposing of the 
fate of armies and countries, and while they listened to 
his words of conscious power, an awe crept over them, 
they felt themselves in the presence of a superior being ; 
and yet among them were several men of splendid quali- 
ties, — born to command. 



24 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

By this time the groups around the fires had stretched 
themselves upon the hard earth to repose, and the 
pacing of the sentinels alone disturbed the stillness of 
the scene, where thousands of brave warriors sub- 
mitted to the conqueror, sleep. Bonaparte and his 
officers returned to a house in the little village of 
Monte Notte, which had been selected as the quarters 
for the night. And the army slumbered on, beneath 
the sweet vigil of the moon, and beside the cheerful 
warmth of the camp-fires until the cold, white light in 
the east told that the most glorious king of . day, who 
has arisen and set upon so many fields of conflict, was 
about to ascend the heavens. 

"Far off his coming shone," 

and the stars soared out of sight, and the moon slowly 
faded to vapor, as the white light turned to a golden 
glow. 

Then was heard the roll of the reveille. With as- 
tonishing rapidity, the French were under arms and in 
motion. Bonaparte and his staff rode to an elevated 
knoll, commanding the whole plain, and then were or- 
dered the movements which gave to the young com- 
mander-in-chief the victory of Monte Notte. D'Argen- 
teau, the Austrian commander, found himself attacked 
upon one side by the divisions of La Harpe, Cervoni 
and Augereau, and upon the other by Massena. Then 
boomed the cannon, and the rattled musketry over the 
plain. The Austrian infantry sustained the conflict 
with admirable courage. But they were surrounded by 
superior forces and after several charges had been made 



MONTE NOTTE. 25 

by the French, in the full confidence of victory, the 
discomfited d'Argenteau was compelled "to retreat to- 
wards Dego. In fact, the retreat was a disorderly flight. 
The French made two thousand prisoners, and several 
hundred Austrians were left dead on the field. The 
centre of the Austrian army had been completely over- 
whelmed. Bonaparte was the victor of Monte Notte. 
In after years, when the imperial crown adorned his 
brow, the conqueror showed his contempt for ancestral 
distinctions by saying that he dated his title to rule from 
this battle. 




4 




ral sjasaj>-if ass as ess©®^. 




'HEN the conflict 

is at an end, and 

the awful silence 

of night descends 

upon the field where stark 

and stiff lie the manglegl 

dead, among the broken 

weapons and spoils of the 

fight, the scene is fearfully 

impressive. There lie the 

cold forms of those, who in life were furious ibes ; but 

in death, side by side, united in their doom of darkness, 

(26) 



MOXDOYI. 27 

they are all clay together. The bugle and the drum, 
which were sounded to signal the contest, are broken 
beside the mutilated and bloody bodies of those who 
played them at the head of the marching regiments. The 
captain, whose gallant " forward !" roused the spirits of 
his men, lies where he perished, in the van. The 
standard-bearer still clasps a portion of that dear symbol 
of his country, which numbers cut from his hands, and 
seems to have yielded his breath, while hugging that 
remnant to his heart. The grim veteran of a hundred 
rights, to whom death has been a jeer and a mockery, 
and the youth, with blooming cheek and eager eye, who 
left his mother's cottage high in the hope of a glorious 
renown, are found cold and stiff together ; the one with 
a smile of scorn curling his lip, the other with the keen 
agony, kindled by the rushing remembrance of the dear 
home lost forever, pictured in his countenance. The 
meek moon and the sentinel stars shining on this field 
of death, with a pallid light, add to its horrors, increasing 
the ghastly hue in the faces of the slain. 

Such a scene was presented on the night of the 22nd 
of April, 1796, after the desperate battle of Mondavi: 
Near the town of. that name, the dispirited army of 
Colli had been overtaken by two divisions of Bonaparte's 
army, commanded by Serrurier and Massena. Serrurier 
had been repulsed, but the onset of Massena was irresist- 
ible, and the enemy were attacked on both flanks at 
once. The cavalry of the Piedmontese over powered 
and drove back that of the French, but the wonderful 
valor of Murat, the most glorious of cavalry officers, re- 
newed the fortune of the day, and, shortly afterwards, 



28 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Colli's army was put to flight. ; During the retreat, the 
Piedmontese suffered dreadfully, losing the best of their 
troops, their canndhs, baggage and appointments. 

Wearied with the desperate conflict, the greater por- 
tion of the victorious army encamped in and about the 
town of Mondovi, a body of cavalry, alone pursuing 
and harassing the enemy. The description of the field 
of battle given above, will apply to this one, with the 
addition of a view of the towers and spires of Mondovi, 
and of numerous blazing fires in the vicinity, around 
which the exhausted troops had sunk to repose. Bo- 
naparte had arrived ; and, now, having gathered his 
principal officers at a ruined building, just outside of 
the town, which seemed to have been an old chapel, 
talked over with them the achievements of the day, and 
what was contemplated for the morrow. The ruin con- 
sisted of four broken walls, and was entirely roofless. 
It was several yards square, and the floor was strewn 
with fragments of sculpture which had once adorned 
the edifice. In the centre of the floor a fire was kindled/ 
and camp-stools were ranged around it. At some dis- 
tance from the ruin, guards were placed, with orders to 
keep the inquisitive beyond ear-shot. This place had 
evidently been selected by Bonaparte, in preference to 
the best mansion of Mondovi, to be secure from ther 
treachery of Italians, who might have overheard and 
communicated to the enemy important information. 

As usual, Bonaparte had the paper containing the fines 
of his movements before him, and with pencil and com- 
passes in hand, he devised and marked alterations even 
while he talked. Among the officers gathered around 



MONDOYI. 29 

the fire, were Massena, Berthier, Serrurier, Murat and 
Duroc. 

Next to the commander-in-chief himself, Massena had 
the most remarkable personal appearance of any of the 
group. His massive features had a somewhat Jewish 
cast and their general expression was extremely heavy, 
or rather drowsy. The eyes were half-closed, and they did 
not sparkle like those of the rest, when Bonaparte spoke. 
Yet it was well known that, when excited by the storm 
of battle, their flash was terrible. The expression of 
the mouth, was always that of an inexorable will. The 
whole aspect of Andrew Massena was that of a man of 
great powers, difficult to rouse. Napoleon himself re- 
marked that it was only in clanger that appalled most 
men, that Massena acquired clearness and force of 
thought. His want of activity was his great defect as 
a commander. 

Serrurier was a large man, with rough, prominent fea- 
tures, in which strong passions and dogged determina- 
tions were plainly expressed. His dress was torn and 
dusty ; for although repulsed by the Piedmontese, he 
had fought like a lion on that desperate day. 

The face of Duroc was manly and prepossessing. 
The slightly receding forehead, prominent nose, clear, 
bright eyes, and firm mouth, were illumined by a bland, 
but determined expression, indicative of the truly heroic 
spirit of this faithful friend of Napoleon. By the side 
of Michael Duroc, could be seen the stalwart form and 
noble countenance of Joachim Murat, the great leader 
of the cavalry, whose desperate charge had decided the 
battle in favor of the French. His gaudy costume was 



30 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON* 

arranged with scrupulous nicety, and it bore no traces 
of the conflict. He sat toying with his long, dark curls 
during the conference. 

" To-morrow, we will occupy Cherasco, which is 
within ten leagues of the Piedmontese capital," said Bo- 
naparte. " It has been a month of glory. Within that 
time, we have gained complete possession of the moun- 
tain passes and thus opened the road for our armies into 
Italy. We have gained three battles over forces far 
superior to our own ; inflicte'd upon the enemy a loss 
of about twenty-five thousand men in killed, wounded, 
iind prisoners, taken eighty pieces of cannon and twenty- 
one stand of colors ; and almost annihilated the army 
of Sardinia. We can dictate a treaty at Turin." 

" The fight to-day was desperate enough, however," 
said Murat, ever vain of his services. " The cavalry was 
beaten back by the Piedmontese, and General Stengel 
was among the slain." 

" A brave man lost to France," interrupted Bonaparte. 

" But I soon taught them that the French cavalry 
was not so easily beaten," continued Murat. " That 
charge decided the day." 

" I am told," said Bonaparte, " that the charge was 
indeed brilliant. But we expect such from Murat, and 
we hope that, hereafter, he may have the best opportu- 
nities of displaying his valor and horsemanship at the 
head of the cavalry of France. You hate won a high 
promotion. General Serrurier, you were repulsed ; but 
you afterwards bravely sustained your reputation, and 
contributed much to the victory. As for you, General 
Massena, high as were my expectations from your valor 



MONDOVI. 31 

and skill, you have astonished me. France will yet 
regard you as a child of victory." 

Massena opened his eyes somewhat wider and nod- 
ded his thanks. " The troops," he remarked, " are 
sadly worn with their rapid marches, and four .days' 
righting. Besides, since they have been so severely 
treated for seizing upon what food and clothes they 
found along the line of march, they have suffered 
much for want of the common necessaries of life." 

"I know — I know," replied Bonaparte; "I pity 
them, and hope that their wants may soon be relieved. 
But they must not become Goths and Vandals. What 
did you say was the loss of the enemy, to-day, 
Berthier?" 

"It is estimated at about three thousand men," 
replied the officer addressed — an elegant looking 
soldier, with a frank, intelligent countenance. 

" Colh is then effectually crippled," said Bonaparte 
" He will not dare to make a stand between us and 
Turin. I learn that Cherasco is an ill-defended place, 
but it has an important position at the confluence of 
the Stura and the Tanaro, and with the artillery taken 
from the enemy, we can soon render it defensible, 
should that be necessary. But at present, the pros- 
pect is that we shall in a few days conclude a peace 
with the king of Sardinia, and then we must pursue 
the Austrians, whom we shall drive beyond the Alps. 
But in the meantime, you, Murat, shall take some of 
our trophies to Paris, and proclaim the triumphs of 
France. A more fitting messenger of victory could 
Qot be found." At this intelligence Murat's eyes 



32 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

sparkled, and a smile lit up his dark features ; for next 
to the storm of battle, this proud soldier loved to boast 
of victory. Next to being a lion upon the field of 
battle, he desired to be a Hon in the saloons of Paris. 

" General," said Duroc, " you may remember that 
when we stood upon the heights of Monte Lemoto, and 
beheld that glorious picture of the plains of Piedmont 
and Italy, you exclaimed, i Hannibal crossed the Alps ; 
as for us, we have gone round them !' It seems to me, 
with deference, that if reinforcements are not speedily 
sent to our aid, you will find yourself in. a position 
more nearly resembling that of Hannibal, when, although 
victorious in Italy, he was deserted by Carthage. The 
chief difference will be, however, that Hannibal, by 
fortunate circumstances, was enabled to maintain his 
army against all the forces of Rome. But we should 
soon be overwhelmed by superior numbers." 

« The government of France has neglected its duty," 
replied Bonaparte, "but I cannot believe that it will 
desert us altogether. If so, however, I have no doubt, 
that we can provide for ourselves." 

" For myself," said Serrurier, " I love France, but 
despise the present government. But for the bravery 
of the army, whose triumphs they have taken to them- 
selves, the members of that government would not now, 
hold their places." 

At these words, Bonaparte raised his head, and gave 
a steady, piercing glance at the frank, out-spoken 
soldier's countenance, probably with the design of 
ascertaining the full depth of his meaning. JBut Ser- 
rurier returned glance for glance, and Bonaparte re- 




MURAT. 



MONDOVI. 35 

turned to the contemplation of his map. There was 
more in that young conqueror's look than, perhaps, any 
of that martial group, suspected. 

The chief incidents of the fight of the day having 
been communicated to Bonaparte by the various offi- 
cers engaged in its terrible scenes, he proceeded to 
award commendation where it was due ; and then gave 
the generals orders in regard to the movements of the 
next day. Despatches, hurriedly written, were 
sent to the generals of the divisions not engaged at 
Mondovi, and then the conference terminated. Most 
of the officers retired to their respective commands; 
but^ accompanied by Duroc and Murat, the sleepless 
commander-in-chief rode over the field, to gain a more 
accurate knowledge of the terrible character of the 
battle — to observe where the fight had been thickest, 
what corps had suffered the greatest loss, and what had 
the been advantages and disadvantages of the ground. 
In many places, it was difficult for the horses to proceed 
without trampling upon the groups of ghastly dead ; 
and the reckless Murat occasionally rode directly over 
the corpses, while talking to the commander-in-chief. 
A considerable number of women, from Mondovi, were 
seen among the bodies, collecting many little articles 
of value attached to the clothing of the dead warriors. 
At the approach of Bonaparte and his officers they 
scampered away, like so many frightened vultures, 
upon which Murat would give chase for a short dis- 
tance to increase their alarm. After a complete survey 
of the field, Bonaparte and his aids returned to Mon- 
dovi. The only remark the young commander-in-chief 



36 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

was heard to make, was, " It was a hard-won victory — 
Mondovi ought to be decisive." And it was decisive. 
At Cherasco, Sardinia submitted to the victor's terms ; 
and thus one of the bravest of the foes of France was 
crushed after a campaign of very brief duration, 
the glories of which are thus touched upon by Bona- 
parte in an eloquent and powerful proclamation to his 
soldiers. 

" Soldiers ! in a fortnight you have gained six victo- 
ries, taken twenty-one pair of colors, fifty-five pieces 
of cannon, several fortresses, and conquered the richest 
part of Piedmont; you have made fifteen thousand 
prisoners, and killed or wounded more than ten thou- 
sand men \ you had hitherto been fighting for barren 
rocks, rendered famous by your courage, but of no ser- 
vice to the country; you this day compete by your 
services with the army of Holland and of the Rhine. 
Destitute of every thing, you have supplied all your 
wants. You have gained battles without cannon, crossed 
rivers without bridges, made forced marches without 
shoes, bivouacked without brandy, and often without 
bread. Republican phalanxes, the soldiers of . liberty 
alone, could have endured what you have endured. 
Thanks be to you for it, soldiers 1" 





if as sasaiPHFiiiBS at ras ©iequxbh ®ep Mm 




EAULIEU, the vete- 
ran general of the 
Austrians, had been 
b eaten and compel- 
led to retreat before 
the French commander of twen- 
ty-six. The Po being crossed 
and the Tesino turned, Bona- 
parte beheld the road to Milan 
open before him. But he prepared to make the effort 
to cut off Beaulieu's retreat, and compel the Austrian 
army to surrender. Like Nelson, upon the sea, he 
thought no triumph complete unless the enemy was 
entirely prostrated. But to cut off the retreat of 
Beaulieu, it was necessary to anticipate him at the 

(37) 




88 CAMP-FIRES Of NAPOLEON. 

passage of the rivers. A great number of these flow 
from the Alps, and cross Lombardy on their way to the 
Po and the Adriatic. After the Po and the Tesino, 
come the Adda, the Oglio, the Mincio, the Adige and 
numerous others. 

The Adda was now before Bonaparte. It is a large 
and deep river, although fordable in some places. The 
passage was to be made at the town of Lodi, an old 
place containing about twelve thousand inhabitants. 
It has old Gothic walls, but its chief defence consists 
in the river, which flows through it, and which is 
crossed by a wooden bridge, about five hundred feet in 
length. Having crossed the river, Beaulieu drew up 
twelve thousand infantry and four thousand horse on 
the opposite bank, posted twenty pieces of artillery so 
as to sweep the bridge, and lined the bank with sharp- 
shooters. It was against all military practice to attempt 
the passage of a river in the face of such difficulties. 
But it was the military mission of Bonaparte to asto- 
nish the routine generals. 

Napoleon, coming up on the 10th of May, easily 
drove the rear-guard of the Austrian army before him 
into the town, but found his further progress threatened 
by the tremendous fire of the pieces of cannon, sta- 
tioned at the opposite end of the bridge, so as to sweep- 
it most completely. The whole body of the enemy's 
infantry drawn up in a dense line, supported this 
appalling disposition of the artillery. 

An answering battery was instantly constructed on 
the French side, Napoleon exposing himself in the 
thickest of the fire to point two of the guns with his 



LODI. 39 

own hands. This he effected in such a manner as to 
prevent the possibility of any approach on the part 
of the enemy to undermine or blow up the bridge. 
Observing, meanwhile, that Beaulieu had removed his 
infantry to a considerable distance backwards, to keep 
tlieru out of the range of the French battery, he 
instantly detached his cavalry, with orders to gallop 
out of sight, and then ford the river, and coming sud- 
denly upon the enemy, attack them in flank. 

He now drew up a body of six thousand grenadiers 
in close column, under the shelter of the houses, and 
bade them prepare for the desperate attempt of forcing 
a passage across the narrow bridge, in the face of the 
enemy's thickly-planted artillery. 

The cavalry of Napoleon had a difficult task to per- 
form in passing the river, and he waited with anxiety 
for their appearance on the opposite bank. But a sud- 
den movement in the ranks of the enemy showed him 
that his cavalry had arrived and charged, and he 
instantly gave the word. The head of the column 
of grenadiers wheeled to the left, and was at once upon 
the bridge. The whole body rushed forward with 
impetuosity, shouting, "Vive la Republique !" A hun- 
dred bodies rolled dead, and the advancing column 
faltered under the redoubled roar of the guns, and the 
tempest of the grape shot. At this critical moment, 
Lannes, Napoleon, Berthier, and L'Allemand, hurried 
to the front, and dashing onwards were followed by the 
whole column in the very mouth of the artillery. 
They gained the opposite side : Lannes reached the 
guns first, and Napoleon second. The artillerymen 



40 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

were killed; their guns seized ; and the Austrian 
infantw, which had been removed too far back, not 
having time to come up to support the artillery, the 
whole army was put to flight. 

The French cavalry pursued in the blazing enthu- 
siasm of almost unprecedented victory. About two 
thousand Austrians were either killed or wounded, and 
the same number made prisoners, while twenty pieces 
of cannon remained in the hands of the French. 

The victorious army encamped on the banks of the 
Adda, in the position which had been occupied by the 
defeated Austrians. Before night fell, Bonaparte was 
informed that he had failed to get between Beaulieu, 
and the other divisions of the Austrian army; but, 
aware of the terror which his daring 'exploit would 
strike into the enemy, he scarcely regretted Ms trifling 
failure of movement. The line of the Adda was car- 
ried ; tremendous difficulties had been vanquished with 
a loss of only two hundred men, and the courage and 
devotion of the soldiers had been raised to the highest, 
pitch. 

The encampment upon the Adda presented a re- 
markable aspect. Most of the officers had the accom- 
modation of tents, but the troops were destitute of that 
luxury, and then only resource for rest was to throw, 
themselves upon the ground around their fires. These 
gallant men, although fatigued with the efforts of the 
glorious day, were too much excited by their victory 
to rest without some demonstration. It was a clear, 
beautiful moonlight night. Although filled in some 
places with the dead, the Adda danced merrily onward, 



LODI. 41 

the ripples sparkling in the moonbeams. All was quiet 
above j but in camp and town, there was the bustle of 
men to whom sleep would not come. Bonaparte had 
retired to his tent to partake of some refreshment, and 
having soon satisfied his abstemious appetite, he was 
about to traverse the camp, alone, to observe the spirit 
of his troops, as well as to ascertain the character and 
rank of the prisoners. In front of his tent, he was 
astonished to meet a small deputation of grim-visaged 
grenadiers, who saluted him with the title of the 
" Little Corporal." One of their number then stepped 
forward, and respectfully communicated the intelligence 
that they had elected him a corporal, in consideration 
of his gallant service in the ranks that day, and hoped 
that they might one day confer still higher honors upon 
him. Three hearty cheers were then given by the 
veterans, who appeared to enjoy the joke amazingly ; 
and after they had retired, the young general was 
saluted in various parts of the camp as the "Little 
Corporal." This gaiety was characteristic of the French 
soldiers. Bonaparte was rather pleased with the sin- 
gular mode of showing affection for his person, and 
admiration of his intrepidity. 

The general approached a group of Hungarian priso- 
ners without being recognised by them. They were 
standing near a fire, conversing, and evidently much 
irritated at the misfortunes of their position. He went 
among them and mingled in the conversation. An old 
officer, who spoke to him, appeared to be extremely 
moody. Bonaparte could not but smile at his language. 
" Things are going on as ill and irregular as possible," 

6 



42 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

said this veteran of routine. " The French have got a 
young general who knows nothing of the regular rules 
of war ; he is sometimes on our front, sometimes on our 
flank, sometimes on the rear. There is no supporting 
such a gross violation of rules." He evidently preferred 
to be whipped in a regular way. But it is agreed that 
the object of war is victory, and if rules do not secure 
that victory, they are of no value. Bonaparte's system 
appeared very extraordinary to the Austrian com- 
manders. It was something beyond what they had 
learned at their German military schools. 

After traversing the camp, and receiving many testi- 
monials of the warm devotion of the troops to his person, 
Bonaparte returned to his tent, where he was soon 
joined by Berthier, Massena, Augereau, Bessieres, 
Duroc, Serrurier, Lannes, and others. To each and all 
he gave a word of compliment ; but he was especially 
fluent in his praise of the indomitable young General 
Lannes, whose daring courage had attracted his atten- 
tion in previous engagements as well as at the tremen- 
dous charge across the bridge of Lodi. They at ere, 
indeed, as gallant a group of officers, as ever a general 
had at his command — men who could as calmly reason 
and determine upon manoeuvres in the hottest storm of 
battle, as during the quiet hours of this moonlight 
night— quick in devising, irresistible in the execution ; 
and yet it was only yonder stripling, with the Roman 
features and the piercing eyes,-who could give a glorious 
harmony to their action, bring their peculiar faculties 
into play, and secure their triumph. Great as they un- 
doubtedly were, they failed to achieve great triumphs 



MONTE NOTTE. 



45 



when beyond the reach of the " Little Corporal's" con- 
trolling mind. The conference was long, for there were 
difficulties in the arrangement of the plan for moving 
upon Milan, and some of the officers, particularly Mas- 
sena, had objections to urge. However, Bonaparte de- 
termined according to his own views. The officers ob- 
served that there was a remarkable change in his 
bearing towards them. He had hitherto admitted them 
to complete familiarity ; but they now felt constrained 
by his lofty manner to keep at a respectful distance. 
When they retired that night, some of them exchanged 
glances of significance ; they were evidently displeased 
at the haughty bearing of the young commander-in- 
chief; yet few of them, perhaps, comprehended the 
change. 

The fact was that the victory of Lodi had a great 
influence upon Napoleon's mind. He afterwards ac- 
knowledged, that neither the quelling of the sections at 
Paris, nor the victory of Monte Notte made him regard 
himself as any thing superior, but that after Lodi, for 
the first time, the idea dawned upon him, that he should 
one day be " a decisive actor," on the stage of the po- 
litical world. It was Lodi which gave birth to the 18th 
Brumaire. 





teis saehp-fqibs m ®i&mmM®m» 



T was at Castiglione and in 
its vicinity that the won- 
derful spirit and rapidity 
of Napoleon's movements 
were more fully displayed 
than at any other of his 
scenes of victory in Italy. 
The aged Beaulieu had 
been superseded in the command of the Austrian army, 
by General Wurmser, a commander of high reputation. 
(46) 




CASTIGLIONE. 47 

His army was greatly superior in numbers to that of 
Bonaparte. It descended from the Tyrol during the 
last days of July, in three divisions, commanded by 
Davidowich, Quasdano witch, and Wurmser himself. 

Wurmser, confident in his numbers, and calculating 
upon the absorption of the energies of the French army, 
by its endeavors to subdue Mantua, disposed his forces 
in the most admirable way to improve a victory ; never 
reflecting that he might happen to be defeated. Un- 
taught by all the previous disasters of Beaulieu, he 
committed the error of dividing his army, in order to 
cover an extent of country. His right wing was de- 
tached, with orders to occupy Brescia, and cut off the 
retreat of the French in the direction of Milan : his left 
wing was to descend the Adige, and manoeuvre on 
Verona; while the centre, under his own command, 
advanced to raise the siege of Mantua. During the two 
first days of his approach, the French generals, after 
resisting to the utmost, yielded up successively, BAvoli, 
Brescia, and Salo ; but these two days were sufficient 
to make Napoleon master of the plan on which Wurmser 
proposed- to carry on the campaign, and he instantly 
disconcerted the whole of it, by a movement so unlike 
that of any ordinary general, as to defy all calculation. 

In one night, (31st July,) he raised the siege of 
Mantua; sacrificing the whole of his artillery. The 
men were employed to destroy as much as the time 
would allow. They spiked the guns, burnt the car- 
riages, threw the powder into the lake, and buried the 
balls. Auger eau and Massena were stationed to defend 
the line of the Mincio as long as possible/ Before 



48 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

morning the whole French army had disappeared from 
Mantua, and Napoleon was hurrying forward to attack 
the right wing of the Austrian army, before it could 
effect a junction with the central body of Wurmser. 

The Austrian right wing was advancing in three di- 
visions. Napoleon defeated one division at Salo, and 
another at Lonato. At the same time, Augereau and 
Massena, leaving a sufficient number of men at their 
posts to maintain a defence, or at least to impede the 
enemy, marched upon the third division at Brescia; 
but it had already fled in disorder towards the Tyrol. 
The French generals instantly countermarched to the 
support of their rear-guards, which had been forced by 
the Austrians. 

Wurmser reached Mantua and was astonished to find 
what he believed to be a precipitate flight. He entered 
the city hi triumph — but he was completely deceived. 
(August 2nd.) 

Bonaparte did not halt for a moment. His troops 
had been constantly on the march, he had himself been 
all the time on horseback ; he resolved to make them 
fight the very next morning. He had before him Ba- 
yalitsch at Lonato, and Liptai at Castiglione, presenting 
to both of them a front of twenty-five thousand men. 
He had to attack them before Wurmser should return 
from Mantua. Sauret had for the second time aban- 
doned Salo ; Bonaparte sent Guyeux again thither to 
recover the position, and to keep back Quasdano witch. 
After these precautions on his left and on his rear, he 
resolved to inarch forward to Lonato with Massena, and 
to throw Augereau upon the heights of Castiglione, 






CASTIGLIONE. 49 

which had been abandoned on the preceding day by 
General Vallette. He broke that general at the head 
of his army, in order to make his lieutenants do their 
duty without flinching. On the following day, the 16 th 
(August 3rd,) the whole army was in motion ; Guyeux 
' re-entered Salo, and this rendered any communication 
between Quasando witch and the Austrian army still 
more impracticable. Bonaparte advanced upon Lonato ; 
but his advanced guard was beaten back, some pieces 
of cannon were taken, and General Pigeon was made 
prisoner. Bayalitsch, proud of this success advanced 
with confidence, and extended his wings around the 
French division. He had two objects in performing 
this manoeuvre.; in the first place, to surround Bona- 
parte, and in the second, to extend himself on the right 
for the purpose of entering into communication with 
Quasandowitch, whose cannon he heard at Salo. Bona- 
parte, not alarming himself about his rear, suffered him- 
self to be surrounded with imperturbable coolness; he 
placed some sharp-shooters on his exposed wings, and 
next took the 18th and 32d demi-brigades of infantry, 
ranged them in close column, gave them a regiment of 
dragoons to support them, and rushed headlong upon 
the enemy's centre, which was weakened by its exten- 
sion. With this brave body of infantry he overthrew 
all before him, and thus broke the line of the Austrians. 
The latter, divided into two bodies, immediately lost 
their courage : one part of the division of Bayalitsch fell 
back in all haste towards the Mincio ; but the other, 
which had extended itself in order to communicate with 
Quasandowitch, was driven towards Salo, where Guyeux 

7 



50 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

was at that moment. Bonaparte caused it to be pur- 
sued without intermission, that he might place it be- 
tween two fires. He let loose Junot in pursuit of it, 
with a regiment of cavalry. Junot dashed off at a 
gallop, killed six horsemen with his own hand, and fell, 
having received several sabre wounds. The fugitive 
division, entrapped between the corps at Salo and that 
which was pursuing it from Lonato, was routed, and lost 
at every step thousands of prisoners. During this suc- 
cessful pursuit, Bonaparte proceeded on his right to 
Castiglione, where Augereau had been righting ever since 
the morning with admirable bravery. The heights on 
which Liptai's division had placed itself had now to be 
carried. After an obstinate combat, several times re- 
newed, he had at length accomplished his object, and 
Bonaparte on his arrival found the enemy retreating on 
all sides. Such was the battle called the battle of 
Lonato, fought on the 16th (August 3rd.) 

This battle produced considerable results. The 
French had taken twenty pieces of cannon and three 
thousand prisoners from the division cut off and driven 
back upon Salo, and they were still pursuing its scat- 
tered remnant in the mountains. They had made a 
thousand or fifteen hundred prisoners at Castiglione, and 
killed or wounded three thousand men; they had 
alarmed Quasandowitch, who finding the French army 
at Salo, and hearing it in the distance at Lonato, thought 
that it was every where. They had thus nearly disor- 
ganized the divisions of Bayalitsch and Liptai, which 
fell back upon Wurmser. That general at this moment 
came up with fifteen thousand men to rally the two 



CASTIGLIONE. 51 

beaten divisions, and began to draw ont his lines in the 
plains of Castiglione. 

Bonaparte now determined upon fighting a decisive 
battle upon the ground which the Austrian general had 
chosen, but as it was necessary to collect all his dispos- 
able force at Castiglione, he deferred the action until 
the 5th. 

It was the night of the 4th of August. The weather 
had been excessively warm for several days, and the 
troops were almost exhausted by their rapid marches 
under a burning sun. The hostile armies were encamped 
close in front of each other, vertically from the line of 
the heights on which both supported one wing, Bona- 
parte having his left thereon, and Wurmser his right. 
A series of heights formed by the last range of the Alps 
extends from Chiessa to the Mincio, by Lonato, Casti- 
glione and Solferino. At the foot of these heights was 
the plains on which the great battle was to be fought. 
Bonaparte had at most twenty-two thousand men, Ser. 
rurier's division not having come up yet ; and, indeed, 
it had been ordered to make an effort to gain the rear 
of the Austrians, Wurmser had thirty thousand men 
under his command, and the wing of his army which 
was on the plain was supported by a redoubt placed 
upon the elevation of Medolano. It was a clear, warm 
night. The stars were thickly sprinkled in the arching 
heaven, but there was no moon, and the position of 
each army could only be clearly distinguished by the 
light of the lines of watch-fires, stretching away from 
the foot of the heights. In the rear of the Austrians, 
the low wall, and tower of the old town of Castiglione 



52 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

$ 

could be distinguished, forming a looming and shadowy 
background to a striking and imposing picture. 

Around one of the fires in the vicinity of the tent of 
the commander-in-chief, was sitting a group of officers, 
among whom Bessieres, Duroc, and Augereau were the 
only men of renown. All ears were opened listening 
to Bessieres, who was giving an account of Bonaparte's 
wonderful exploit that day, in escaping from a surprise 
at Lonato, He told the story as follows : 

"You know that this morning, our commander-in- 
chief set off for Lonato at full gallop, to personally hasten 
the movements of the troops. He was accompanied 
only by his staff and the Guides under my command. 
We arrived at Lonato about noon. We found that the 
orders of the general were already carried out; part of the 
troops were marching upon Castiglione, and the rest 
were proceeding towards Salo and Gavardo. About a 
thousand men remained at Lonato. Scarcely had the 
general entered the place, when an Austrian flag of 
truce presented itself, and the bearer summoned him to 
surrender. The general started at the summons. He 
could not understand how it was possible that the Aus- 
trians could be so close upon him. But the case was 
soon explained. The division separated in the battle 
of Lonato, and driven back upon Salo, had been partly 
captured ; but a body of about four thousand five hun- 
dred men had been wandering all night in the mountains ; 
and seeing the town almost abandoned, wanted to enter 
the place, in order to open for itself an outlet upon the 
Mincio. General Bonaparte had no time to fight a 
battle, or perhaps he would have done it, even with his 



CASTIGLIONE. 53 

force of one thousand men. His plan was formed with 
his usual quickness and decision. He ordered all the 
officers about him to mount their horses, and then, the 
bearer of the flag to be brought before him, with his 
eyes uncovered ; for, as usual on such occasions, the 
officer was blindfolded. You should have seen the Aus- 
trian's astonishment when he found himself in the 
presence of.our general and his staff. * Unhappy man!' 
said General Bonaparte, 'you know not then that you 
are in the presence of the commander-in-chief, and that 
he is here with his whole army. Go tell those who sent 
you. that I give them five minutes to surrender, or I 
will put them to the sword to punish the insult which 
they have dared to offer me.' The astonished bearer 
of the flag returned with this message to his general. 
In the meantime, General Bonaparte prepared his small 
forc« for action. The Austrian then asked him to pro- 
pose terms of capitulation. But our general, knowing 
the importance of immediate action, replied — ' No, you 
must become at once prisoners of war/ The Austrian 
hesitated, but when General Bonaparte ordered his ar- 
tillery and grenadiers to advance to the attack, the 
enemy surrendered ; and thus, without striking a blow, 
four thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry sur- 
rendered themselves prisoners of war to about one 
thousand Frenchmen. We gained, besides, two pieces 
of artillery." 

A general laugh followed this narrative. All agreed 
that it was an admirable exploit, and quite worthy of 
the genius of Bonaparte. At this moment, the young 
commander-in-chief appeared at the door of his tent. 



1 



54 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

His horse was standing near, and he was quickly 
mounted. " Come, Bessieres and Duroc," said he in a 
sharp voice, " we will go over the field." So saying, he 
rode away, leaving the officers addressed to follow hhn 
as soon as they could. They immediately left the 
group, which was now joined, however, by Lannes and 
Berthier, who, wearied out, sought the vacant seats to 
obtain a short rest. 

" Who ever saw the like ?" said young Lannes, — he 
of the tall, stout form, stern countenance, and long, fair 
hair, parted in the centre. " Such incessant activity I 
That slender 'little Corporal' would tire a host of us. 
In a few days he lias killed five horses with fatigue. He 
will not entrust any of us with the execution of his im- 
portant orders. He must see every thing with his own 
eyes, inquire into every thing, and set every body in 
a fever of motion by his presence. Such tremendous 
energy I never knew any other person to possess. I 
do not believe he sleeps at all. There he goes again, to 
make his final arrangements for the battle." 

" He will wear himself out too soon, I am afraid," 
said Augereau. 

" But he will accomplish more in one month than 
many men could achieve in years. His immortality is 
already established, and he is but twenty-six," replied 
Berthier. 

" He will have a glorious opportunity to achieve a 
decisive victory to-morrow," said Lannes ; " but I doubt 
whether the battle will be as long and as desperate as 
tbat of yesterday." 

" Yesterday was indeed a day of hard fighting, for 



CASTIGLIONE. 55 

my division here, at least/' said Augereau. u My troops 
were completely exhausted, when Liptai's division was 
driven from the heights. But how did Junot get cut 
up in such a way ?" 

" I'll tell you," replied Berthier. " When the Austrian 
line was broken by the charge of our infantry, one di- 
vision was driven towards Salo, where Guyeux was 
posted. General Bonaparte caused it to be pursued, in 
order to place it between two fires, and General Junot 
was let loose, with a regiment of cavalry. Junot set off 
at full speed. He encountered Colonel Bender with a 
party of his regiment of hussars, whom he charged, 
with his wonted bravery. But not wishing to waste 
his time by attacking the rear, Junot made a detour to 
the right, charged the regiment in front, wounded Co- 
lonel Bender and attempted to take him prisoner, when 
he suddenly found himself surrounded. Of course, he 
fought like a hero, as he is, and it is said that he killed 
six of the enemy with his own hand, before he was cut 
down, and thrown into a ditch. I suppose he will be 
disabled for some time, which is a real misfortune to 
the army, as Junot is one of the bravest and most active 
officers now under General Bonaparte's command." 

" Yes," said the generous Lannes, " we shall miss riim. 
He was promoted from the ranks on account of his cool 
bravery, and he certainly has done honor to the judg- 
ment of our general, who first noticed his merit at the 
siege of Toulon." 

" Still," said Augereau, " brave men are not scarce 
in the army of Italy. We shall conquer without Junot, 
I have no doubt" 



56 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Thus the group continued to converse, until General 
Bonaparte came up, with Massena and others, and in- 
vited them to his tent to receive their final instructions. 
The quick movements, and rapid, concise speech of the 
young conqueror indicated the unwearied activity of his 
mind. He had undergone tremendous exertion, but no- 
trace of it appeared in his bearing. The restless fire 
of his eye was undimmed ; his mind labored as vigo- 
rously and with as much precision as if he had been en- 
joying repose for several clays ; and the commander of 
the Guides reported that the general slept but an hour 
that night, 

At the first peep of day, the two armies were in mo- 
tion. Wurmser, impatient to attack, moved his right 
along the heights ; Bonaparte, to favor this movement, 
drew back his left, formed by Massena's division ; he 
kept his centre immovable in the plain. He soon heard 
Serrurier's fire. Then, while he continued to draw back 
his left, and Wurmser to draw out his right, he ordered 
the redoubt of Medolano to be attacked. At first, he 
directed twenty pieces of fight artillery upon that re- 
doubt, and after briskly cannonading it, he detached 
General Verdier, with three battalions, to storm it. 
That brave general advanced, supported by a regiment 
of calvalry, and took the redoubt. The left flank of the 
Austrians was thus exposed at the very moment when 
Serrurier, arriving at Cauriana, excited, alarm upon 
their rear. Wurmser immediately moved part of his 
second line upon his right, now deprived of support, 
and placed it en potence to front the French, who were 
debouching from Medolano. He took the remainder of 



L 



CASTIGLIONE. 57 

his second line to the rear, to protect Cauriana, and 
thus continued to make head against the enemy. But 
Bonaparte, seizing the opportunity with his accustomed 
promptness, immediately ceased to avoid engaging his 
left and his centre, and gave Massena and Augereau 
the signal which they were impatiently awaiting. Mas- 
sena with the left, Augereau with the centre, rushed 
upon the weakened line of the Austrians, and charged 
it with impetuosity. Attacked so briskly on its entire 
front, and threatened on its left and its rear, it began 
to give ground. The ardour of the French increased. 
Wurmser seeing his army jeopardized then gave the 
signal for retreat. He was pursued, and some prisoners 
were taken. To put him completely to the rout, it 
would have been necessary to make much more haste, 
and td push him while in disorder upon the Mincio. 
But for six days the troops had been . constantly march- 
ing and fighting; they were unable to advance further, 
and slept on the field of battle. Wurmser had on that day 
lost no more than two thousand men, but he had never- 
theless lost Italy. 

That night, the first time for five days, Bonaparte 
enjoyed the sweets of repose. The anxiety was at an 
end — Italy was his own. 





teis smo^-fiubs m &mm>&* 



HE indomitable Bona- 
parte had nearly de- 
Hi stroyed the army of 
Wurmser. The laurels 
of Rovefedo, Bassano, 
and Saint George, 
adorned his young 
brow, beside those of 
Monte Notte, Lodi and Castiglione. Within ten days, 
he had carried positions, the natural difficulties of which 
seemed to defy human assault, killed or captured about 
twenty thousand men, and taken artillery and stores 
(58) 




AKCOIA. 59 

which were almost an encumbrance to his gallant little 
army. His brave officers, Massena, Augereau, Bes- 
sieres, Murat, Berthier, Lannes, and the rest, had heaped 
up their titles to immortal renown. To use the language 
of Thiers, a France was lost in admiration of the com- 
mander-in-chief of the army of Italy." 

Still, Bonaparte's situation was rapidly becoming one 
of startling peril. Austria redoubled her efforts to re- 
cover Lombardy. A fine army was prepared from the 
wrecks of Wurmser, the troops from Poland and Turkey, 
the detachments from the Rhine, and fresh recruits. 
Marshal Alvinzi was appointed to the command. Bo- 
naparte's army at this time numbered about thirty thou- 
sand men, but they were badly provided, while Alvinzi 
could bring sixty thousand men into the field. On the 1st 
of November, 1796, the Austrian commander advanced 
upon the Brenta. At first, the French fell back, but 
Bonaparte resolved to strike a blow at the onset of this 
new series of movements, which would break the spirit 
of the enemy. The action took place on the 5th, between 
Carmignano and Bassano, and after a hot and bloody 
conflict, the French were victorious. Other contests 
followed ; but in spite of the advantages gained by Bo- 
naparte, he found that unless a great decisive battle was 
fought, Italy would be lost. The troops began to murmur 
at the neglect with which their government treated 
them, and the general complained to the Directory that 
the majority of his best officers were either killed or 
disabled by wounds. But in the meantime, Bonaparte 
conceived a daring plan of action, which, considering 
the circumstances, stands unparalleled in the annals of 



50 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

war. He resolved to give battle, unexpectedly, amid 
the marshes of the Adige, where the difference in 
numbers would be neutralized. Then followed the 
tremendous battle of Areola, which lasted seventy-two 
hours, and ended in the complete triumph of the French. 
It was the night of the 17th of November. The sun 
had set upon a third day of slaughter amid the marshes 
and upon the plain at Areola. But with the quiet 
shadows of evening, came victory to gladden the hearts 
of the French and their glorious general. Exhausted 
by the terrible conflict, both armies were to pass the 
night upon the plain. But the Austrians took care to be 
beyond the reach of the conquerors and far towards 
Vicenza. The French kindled their camp-fires upon 
the field of their triumph. It was a gloomy night. 
Neither moon nor star smiled in the sky ; and the line 
of the encampments could only be traced by the fires, 
blazing even among the heaps of the dead, while far 
away over the plain the long fine of Austrian fires could 
be distinguished. Having partaken of some slight re- 
freshment, the French soldiers were stretched upon the 
ground around the fires. The majority slept. But to 
some, wearied as they were in body, sleep would not 
come, so excited were their minds by the vivid and 
terrible images of the conflict through which they had 
passed. The Guides, who had kindled their fires around 
a little cottage in which Bonaparte had taken quarters 
for the night, were among the wakeful ones. They had 
secured for themselves, at the order of the commander- 
in-chief, abundant refreshments, and now, sitting upon 
their camp-stools to rest their weary limbs, they dis- 



ARCOLA. 61 

cussed both the provision and the glorious achievements 
of the army of Italy. Their number had been conside- 
rably thinned by the great battle through which they 
had just passed, for they, as well as their general, had 
been in the thickest of the fire. But there were still 
Bessieres, the commander, young Lemarois, Duroc, and 
others of distinction; while among them was, Auge- 
reau, who, having been reared in the democratic faubourg 
St. Antoine, never had any scruples upon the subject 
of rank, outside of actual military operations. He asso- 
ciated with general and private upon equal terms. The 
others doubtless considered themselves as honoring the 
company with their presence ; but they could not have 
formed a part of a more gallant group. Not an officer 
among them but bore marks of the terrible conflict 
through which they had passed. Their costume was 
bespattered with mud, their faces blackened with powder, 
and some of them had sabre wounds, which, for the 
time, disfigured their countenances. 

" The officers of the army have suffered dreadfully, 
during these three days of fighting," said Augereau. 
"I thought that before the battle we were crippled 
enough in that way ; but only look now. Here's Ge- 
neral Lannes, who was wounded before he went into 
the conflict, and he now lies low with three more wounds. 
Verne, Bon, Verdier, and several others are also wounded, 
while General Robert and the brave Colonel Muiron, 
who saved General Bonaparte's life at Toulon, and 
covered him here again, are killed." 

" This battle will long be deemed a glorious monument 
of the genius of Bonaparte," said Bessieres, " I say it 



62 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

with deference ; that heroic as are his principal officers, 
they might have striven in vain against the superior 
numbers of the enemy, but for the daring and profound 
combinations of the general-in-chief, while much is also 
due to his efforts of resolute valor during the struggle." 

" No one will venture to deny that," said the frank 
and generous Augereau. Massena merely nodded his 
head, but left the meaning of the nod unexplained. 

" For," continued Bessieres, " consider the position 
of the army before the battle. Our army was greatly 
inferior in numbers to that of Alvinzi, as, in spite of 
the immense loss of the Austrians, it remains. Our 
hospitals were full of sick and wounded. The troops 
were dispirited, because of the shameful neglect with 
which their government treated them. A large number 
of our best officers were entirely disabled. Yet an ad- 
dress from General Bonaparte restored confidence to the 
army, and when, on the night of the 15th, orders were 
given to the troops to fall back, they obeyed with alac- 
rity, although they believed they were retreating — a 
movement to which they are unaccustomed, for they 
supposed that some daring plan had been formed for 
their glory. When they had recrossed the Adige by 
the bridge of boats here at Ronco, they found that their 
confidence in their general had not been misplaced." 

" See then," said Duroc, " how General Bonaparte 
availed himself of the advantages of the ground. What 
other general of this age would have thought of fighting 
among the marshes. Alvinzi was encamped on the 
road from Verona to the Brenta. Consequently when 
General Bonaparte reached Ronco, he found himself 



ARCOLA. 63 

brought back on the flanks and nearly on the rear of 
the Austrians. The army was then amidst extensive 
marshes, traversed by two causeways, which we were 
ordered to occupy. 

"Now mark the result of his calculations; amidst 
these marshes numerical advantage was neutralized; 
there was no deploying but upon the causeways, and 
on the causeways the courage of the advanced guards 
of the columns would decide the event. By the cause- 
way on the left, which communicated with the road be- 
tween Verona and Caldiero, he could fall upon the Aus- 
trians if they attempted to scale Verona. By the 
causeway on the right, which crossed the Alpon at the 
bridge of Areola, and terminated at Villa Nova, he might 
debouch upon the rear of Alvinzi, take his artillery and 
baggage, and cut off his retreat. He was therefore 
impregnable at Ronco, and he stretched his two arms 
around the enemy. He had caused the gates at 
Verona to be shut, and had left Kilmaine there, with 
fifteen hundred men, to stand a first assault. This 
combination, so daring and so profound, struck the 
army, and inspired them with confidence." 

"It was a grand stroke of genius," said Massena. 
" I was stationed on the dike at the left, so as to go up 
to Gombione and Porcil, and take the enemy in the 
rear, if he should march to Verona." 

"And I," observed Augereau, "was despatched to 
the right, to debouch upon Villa Nova. But before I 
could advance along the right hand dike, I had to cross 
the Alpon by the bridge of Areola. Some battalions 
of Croats were stationed along the river, and had their 



64 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

cannon pointed at the bridge. They received *uy 
advance guard with a rattling fire of musketry, an I at 
first the men fell hack. I rode up and did all in my 
powe*r to push them on, hut the fire compelled thei t to 
halt. Soon after that, I saw a party of Hungarian 
cavalry come to inquire into the reason of the firing 
among the marshes. The Austrian marshal could not 
understand it. He did not for a moment suppose that 
General Bonaparte would choose such a field of battle, 
at least I judge so, from his orders." 

" Ha ! ha !" shouted Massena, " you should ha > e seen 
Rivera leading his division close along the kft dike 
where I was posted. I permitted them to get too far 
on the dike to retreat, and then dashed upon them at a 
run. How we tumbled them into the marsh ! Ha ! 
ha ! The troops shot them by scores, as they floundered 
in the mud and water. Ha ! ha !" It was a grim laugh. 

" I did the same for Mitrowski's division," said Au- 
gereau. "I then pursued, and attempted to pass the 
bridge, the soldiers gallantly crowding around the flag 
I held to cheer them on. But they could not stand 
that tremendous fire. Lannes, Bon, Verne, and Ver- 
dier were wounded. In spite of my utmost efforts, the 
column fell back, and the soldiers descended to the side 
of the dike, to shelter themselves from the fire." 

" Then came the heroism of the i Little Corporal,' " 
exclaimed Duroc, his eyes glowing with enthusiasm. 
" He saw from Ronco, that Alvinzi had become sensible 
of his danger, and was striving to prevent you, brave 
Guyeux, from taking him in the rear at Villa Nova. 
He saw that it was of the utmost importance to cross 



ARCOLA. 65 

the river at Areola immediately, if he would gain 
Alvinzi's rear, and thus secure great results. Did you 
see that glorious commander? He set off at full 
gallop, came near the bridge, threw himself from his 
horse, went to the soldiers who were crouching down by 
the borders of the dike, asked them if they were still 
the conquerors of Lodi, revived their courage by his 
words, and seizing a flag cried, ' Follow your general !' 
Hearing his voice, a number of soldiers went up to the 
causeway and followed him ; unfortunately, the move- 
ment could not be communicated to the whole of the 
column, the rest of which remained behind the dike. 
Bonaparte advanced, carrying the flag in his hand, amidst 
a shower of balls and grape-shot. We all surrounded 
him. Lannes, who had already received two wounds 
from musket-shots during the battle, was struck by a 
thud. Muiron, the general's aid-de-camp, striving to 
cover him with his body, fell dead at his feet. The 
column was nevertheless on the point of clearing the 
bridge, when a last discharge arrested it, and threw it 
back. The rear abandoned the advance. The soldiers 
who still remained with the general, then laid hold of 
him, carried him away amidst the fire and smoke, and 
insisted on his remounting his horse. An Austrian 
column debouching upon them, threw them in disorder 
into the marsh. Bonaparte fell in, and sunk up to the 
waist. As soon as the soldiers perceived his danger, 
6 Forward,' cried they, ' to save the general.' They ran 
after Belliard and Vignolles to extricate him. They 
pulled him out of the mud, set him upon his horse again, 
pressed forward and Areola was taken. 

9 



66 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

" Was there ever a more glorious man ?" And as 
the enthusiastic Duroc concluded his animated descrip- 
tion of the splendid exploit, his eyes gleamed in admi- 
ration of his great friend and patron. 

"Yes," said Guyeux, "Areola was taken. But I 
could not get across the river in time to attack Alvinzi's 
rear, and thus the Austrian was enabled to deploy into 
the plain. The general had striven gloriously, but he 
had not attained his object. In my humble opinion, 
he might have avoided the obstacle of Areola by throwing 
his bridge over the Adige a little below Ronco. 

" Aye," said Massena, " but then he would have de- 
bouched into the plain, which it was of great importance 
to avoid. The general had the best reasons for doing 
what he did, and although the success was imperfect, 
important results had been obtained. Alvinzi had 
quitted the formidable position of Caldiero ; he had de- 
scended again into the plain, he no longer threatened 
Verona ; and he had lost a great number of men in the 
marshes. The two dikes had become the only field of 
battle between the two armies, which gave the superi- 
ority to bravery. Besides, so glorious had been the 
conflict, that our soldiers had completely recovered their 
confidence, a result of immense importance, as all may 
perceive." This defence of Bonaparte's course did honor 
to the intelligence of Massena. 

" But it must be admitted," said Bessieres, " that the 
battle of to-day surpassed all the rest in the display of 
strategic genius. Yesterday was glorious for us, for 
the bravery and perseverance of the whole army was 
exerted in beating the enemy from the dikes, and 



ARCOLA. 67 

tumbling them into the marsh, and we destroyed, an 
immense number of them. But to-day proved most con- 
clusively that in strategy our general is at least the rival 
of the Carthagenian Hannibal. Our general saw that 
the long conflict had disheartened the enemy, and con- 
siderably reduced their superior numbers. He then 
dared to encounter them on the plain. You, General 
Massena, marching at the head of your column, with 
your hat upon the point of your sword, showed them 
the way to victory, and the Austrians were once more 
crowded into the marsh. But General Robert was re- 
pulsed at the bridge of Ronco. Yet mark the resources 
of the general-in-chief ! Sensible of the danger, he placed 
the 32d in a wood of willows, which borders the right 
hand dike. While the enemy's column, victorious over 
Robert, was advancing, the 32d sallied from its ambus- 
cade, and, of the three thousand Croates who composed 
it, the greater part were slain or captured. Crossing 
the Alpon, Bonaparte brought the whole army into the 
plain, in front of the Austrians. An ordinary general 
would now have ordered a simple charge. But the 
' Little Corporal' determined upon a stratagem. A 
marsh, overgrown with reeds, covered the left wing of 
the Austrians. Hereule, chef de battattwn, was ordered 
to take twenty-five guards, to march in single line 
through the reeds, and to make a sudden charge, with 
a great blast of trumpets." 

" And Hereule was the very man for such a despe- 
rate service," observed Duroc. 

" Precisely," said Bessieres. " Then the great charge 
was made by you generals, Massena and Augereau; 



68 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

but the Austrians stood their ground until they heard 
the great blast of trumpets, when, thinking they were 
going to be charged by a whole division of cavalry, 
they fled, and the battle was decided in favor of France, 
Italy is our own." 

"Not yet," said Massena. "Austria is stubborn. 
In spite of her many defeats, she will make at least 
one more effort to recover possession of this fair land. 
We have much fighting yet to do, I am sure." 

"We have lost many brave men in these three 
fighting days," said young Lemarois. " But the enemy 
have suffered a loss of at least twelve thousand killed, 
and six thousand made prisoners, while we have taken 
eighteen pieces of cannon and four stand of colors." 

" Trophies enough," said Augereau. " It seems to 
me, that whether this battle has decided the fate of 
Italy or not, we shall soon have a short respite from 
our toils, which will give us time to recruit." 

The conversation continued thus till most of the 
officers, being overcome with fatigue, retired to 
their quarters. The Guides slept around their fires, in 
close proximity to numbers of the gallant dead, whose 
slumber was destined to be broken only by the arch- 
angel's trump. 

In the meantime, the young conquer or had sought 
his couch for much needed repose, and so soundly did 
he sleep that even the glories of Areola were forgotten 
for the time. 




TOg SAEHP-FIUBB ATT 1HW©M« 




HE chain of Monte 
Baldo divides the 
lake of Garda from 
the Adige. The high 
road winds between the Adige 
and the foot of the mountains, 
to the extent of some leagues. 
At Incanale the river washes 
the very base of the mountains, 
leaves no room whatever for proceeding along its bank. 
The road then leaves the banks of the river, rises by a 

(69) 




70 CAMP-FIRES GF NAPOLEON. 

zig-zag direction round the sides of the mountain,, and 
debouches upon an extensive elevated plain, which is 
that of Bivoli. It overlooks the Adige on one side, and 
is encompassed on the other side by the amphitheatre 
of Monte Baldo. An army in position of this plateau 
commands the winding road by which the ascent to it is 
made, and sweeps by its fire both banks of the Adige to 
a great distance. It is very difficult to storm this pla- 
teau m front, since you must climb up the narrow zig- 
zag road before you can reach it. Therefore no one 
would attempt to attack it by that single way. Before 
arriving at Incanale, other roads lead to Monte Baldo, 
and ascending its long and sloping acclivities terminate 
at the plateau of Bivoli. They are not passable either 
for cavalry or for artillery, but they afford easy access 
to foot soldiers, and may be made available for carrying 
a considerable force in infantry upon the flanks and rear 
of the body defending the plateau. 

Here the star of Napoleon was destined to shine with 
new glory. Alvinzi commanded the principal attack on 
the Tyrolese side, at the head of fifty thousand men, 
and advanced his head-quarters from Bassano to Bo- 
veredo. General Provera took the command of the 
army on the lower Adige, which was twenty thousand 
strong : its head-quarters were at Padua. A great many 
troops appeared on different points, and some spirited 
actions also took place in the course of the 12th and 
13th ; but the enemy had not fully unmasked his plans, 
so that the moment for adopting a decisive course had 
not yet arrived. On the 13th it rained very heavily, 
and Napoleon had not yet resolved in what direction to 



RIVOLI. 71 

march, whether up or down the Adige. At ten in the 
evening, the accounts from Joubert, at La Corona, deter- 
mined him. It was plain that the Austrians were ope- 
rating with two independent corps, the principal attack 
being intended against Monte Baldo, the minor one on 
the Lower Adige. Auger eau's division appeared suffi- 
cient to dispute the passage of the river with Provera ; 
but on the Monte Baldo side the danger was imminent. 
There was not a moment to lose ; for the enemy was 
about to effect a junction with his artillery and cavalry, 
by taking possession of the level of Rivoli ; and if he 
could be attacked before he could gain that important 
point, he would be obliged to fight without artillery or 
cavalry. All the troops were therefore put in motion 
from the head-quarters at Verona, to reach BAvoli before 
day-break ; the general-in-chief proceeded to the same 
point, and arrived there at two in the morning. 

The weather had been rainy for several days. But 
now the sky was without a cloud. The moon and stars 
shone with a brilliancy peculiar to their light in this re- 
gion. The air was keen and bitter cold. The French 
general, accompanied by his aids and the faithful Guides, 
proceeded to a projecting rock on the heights of Monte 
Maggone, to gain a complete view of the enemy, previous 
to fixing the plan of battle. And now behold the group, 
dismounted, and collected near the fire, Bonaparte being 
in advance, with glass in hand, surveying the positions 
of the enemy. Duroc, Lemarois, Murat, Berthier and 
Bessieres stood together just behind him. The whole 
horizon was in a blaze with the Austrian fires, and the 
red glare contrasted strangely with the pure white light 



72 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

of the moon. Bonaparte observed and talked with his 
customary precision and rapidity. 

" Alvinzi has at least forty-five thousand men under 
his command. We have but twenty-two thousand ; 
while the brave Joubert, who has so nobly maintained 
his position at Rivoli, has but ten thousand. The enemy 
has divided his force into three columns, although I 
see no less than five camps. The principal column, 
will proceed along the high road between the river and 
Monte Baldo, and will debouch by the winding road of 
Incanale. Three divisions of infantry have climbed the 
steep mountains, and will get to the field by descending 
the steps of the amphitheatre formed by this chain of 
heights. Another division will wind round the side of 
the mountains and attempt to gain our rear. 

" But yonder seems to be another camp on the other 
side of the Adige," said Murat, pointing to a line of 
fires. 

" True," said Bonaparte, " but that can do no damage. 
It can only fire a few balls across the river. It is clear, 
we must keep the plateau at all events. Posted there 
we prevent the junction of the different divisions of the 
enemy. We may play our artillery upon the infantry 
which is deprived of its cannon, and drive back the 
cavalry and artillery which must be crowded together 
in a narrow, winding road. The other divisions will not 
trouble us much." Thus, with lightning-like rapidity, 
did this matchless general conceive the plan which was 
to give him a glorious victory. 

" I suppose we are to begin the battle at daybreak,* 
said Duroc. 



RIVOLI. 73 

" At daybreak ! Now ! now is the time !" replied the 
French general, sharply. " Duroc ! Joubert's troops 
have been fighting forty-eight hours, and they are now 
taking a little repose. They must be aroused immedi- 
ately. Tell them for me, that they must not let Mas- 
sena's division surpass them in endurance, and his troops 
have marched by night and fought by day. Order Ge- 
neral Joubert to attack the advanced post of the Aus- 
trian infantry, drive them back, and extend his force 
more widely upon the plateau." 

Duroc immediately spurred away to communicate the 
order to Joubert. 

"Joubert has done well; but he should not have 
abandoned yonder St. Mark's Chapel. At all events, 
I do not believe the enemy have occupied it. Duroc is 
rapid in movement. The battle of Rivoli will soon 
commence," said the French general. 

"I wish Massena was nearer the field," observed 
Murat. 

• ■ He will be up in time, never fear. He is indomi- 
table. Besides, if the battle should assume a critical 
aspect, I will go myself to hurry up his division. Ha ! 
Joubert is up like a roused lion, and in movement. 
Who leads the column ? Yial — a brave officer," con- 
tinued Bonaparte. At this moment, a rattling fire of 
musketry rang on the air, and from the height where 
Bonaparte stood, could be seen the rapid advance of 
Joubert's troops, as well as the long line of D'Ocksky's 
column of Croats against whom the attack was directed. 
Then the thunder of the artillery was heard, and clouds 
of smoke curled up from the plateau." 

10 



74 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

" St. Mark's Chapel is recovered/' said Bessieres. 

" The Austrian infantry cannot stand- against the ar- 
tillery, and they are falling back in a semicircle, with 
the heights at their rear," remarked Bonaparte. 

At this moment, Liptai's division which kept the ex- 
tremity of the enemy's semicircle, fell upon Joubert's 
left, composed of the 89th and 25th demi-brigades, sur- 
prised them, broke their lines and compelled them to 
retire in disorder. The 14th coming immediately after 
these demi-brigades formed en crochet to cover the rest 
of the line, and bravely stood their ground. The Aus- 
trians now put forth all their strength and almost over- 
whelmed this little band of heroes. They made despe- 
rate efforts to capture the artillery, the horses of which 
had all been killed. They had even reached the pieces, 
when a brave officer rushed forward, and exhorted the 
grenadiers not to allow their guns to be taken. Fifty 
men immediately rushed forward, repulsed the enemy, 
harnessed themselves to the pieces, and drew them 
back. 

In the midst of this terrible struggle, the day began 
to dawn upon the field of Rivoli. Bonaparte who had 
watched the progress of the fight with the keenest in- 
terest, repeatedly making exclamations of surprise or 
admiration, now perceived the critical position of affairs. 
Turning to Berthier, he said quickly, 

" General Berthier, I leave you in charge, of my troops 
at the point where they are threatened. I know you 
and General Joubert can hold that position, no .matter 
what the number of the enemy may be. I am going 
with all speed after Massena. Come, aids — Bessieres, 



MVOLI. 75 

mount and forward !" The whole party was quickly in 
the saddle, and away, leaving the watch-fire to smoudler 
and die, as the lurid blaze of battle arose upon the 
plain. 

Massena's first troops had scarcely come up, after 
marching all night. Bonaparte took the 32d, already 
distinguished by its exploits during the campaign, and 
brought it to bear upon the left, so as to rally the two 
demi-brigades, which had given way. The intrepid 
Massena advanced at its head, rallied behind him the 
broken troops, and overthrew all before him. He re- 
pulsed the Austrians, and placed himself by the side of 
the 14th, which had not ceased to perform prodigies of 
valor. The fight was thus kept up on this point, and 
the army occupied the semicircle of the plateau. But 
the momentary check of the left wing had obliged Jou. 
bert to fall back with the right ; he gave ground, and 
already the Austrian infantry was a second time nearing 
that point which Bonaparte had such an object in com- 
pelling him to abandon ; in fact, the Austrian infantry 
was about getting up to the outlet by which the winding 
road of Incanale led to the plateau. At this moment, 
the column composed of artillery and cavalry, and pre- 
ceded by several battalions of grenadiers, ascended 
the winding road, and with incredible efforts of bravery, 
repulsed the 29th. Wukassovich, from the other bank 
of the Adige, sent a shower of cannon balls to protect 
this kind of escalade. Already had the grenadiers 
climbed the summit of the defile, and the cavalry was 
debouching in their train upon the plateau. This was 
nit all. Lusignan's column, whose fires had been seen 



76 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

at a distance, and who had been perceived on the left, 
getting to the rear of the position of the French, were 
now coming up to their rear, in order to cut them off 
from the road to Verona, and to stop Rey, who was 
coming from Castel-Novo with the division of reserve. 
Lusignan's soldiers finding themselves on the rear of 
the French army, already clapped their hands, and con- 
sidered it as taken. Thus, on this plateau, closely 
pressed in front by a semicircle of infantry, pressed on 
the rear, on the left by a strong column, sealed on the 
right by the main body of the Austrian army, and 
galled by the cannon balls which came from the opposite 
bank of the Adige in the direction of this plateau, Bo- 
naparte was alone with Joubert's and Massena's divisions, 
in the midst of a cloud of enemies. In fact, he was 
with sixteen thousand men, surrounded by forty thousand 
at least. 

At this anxious moment, Bonaparte was not shaken ; 
he retained all the fire of inspiration. On seeing Lu- 
signan's Austrians, he said, " Those are ours /" and he 
allowed them to engage without giving himself any con- 
cern about their movement. The soldiers, conjecturing 
what their general meant, experienced the same confi- 
dence, and also repeated to one another, u They are 
ours /" Bonaparte did not concern himself with more 
than what was passing before him. His left was pro- 
tected by the heroism of the 14th and the 3 2d. His 
right was threatened at once by the infantry which had 
resumed the offensive, and by the column that was 
scaling the plateau. He immediately directed decisive 
movements to be effected. 



EIVOLI. 77 

A battery of light artillery and two squadrons, under 
two brave officers, Leclerc and Laselle, were ordered 
to the outlet of which the enemy had taken possession. 
Joubert, who, with the extreme right, had this outlet 
at his back, suddenly faced about with a corps of light 
infantry. All charged at once. The artillery first 
poured a discharge upon all that had debouched ; the 
cavalry and light infantry then charged with vigor. 
Joubert's horse was killed under him ; he got up nowise 
daunted, and rushed upon the enemy with a musket in 
his hand. All that had debouched, grenadiers, cavalry, 
artillery, all were hurled pell-mell headlong down the 
winding road of Incanale. The confusion was awful ; 
some pieces of cannon firing down into the defile, aug- 
mented the terror and confusion. At every step, the 
French killed and made prisoners. 

Having cleared the plateau of the assailants who had 
scaled it, Bonaparte again returned to his attacks 
against the infantry which was ranged in semicircle be- 
fore him, and set Joubert upon it with the light infantry, 
and Laselle with two hundred hussars. On this new 
attack, consternation seized that infantry, now deprived 
of all hope of effecting a junction with the main body ; 
it fled in confusion. The French semicircular line then 
moved from right to left, drove back the Austrian s 
against the amphitheatre of Monte Baldo, and pursued 
them as far as possible into the mountains. Bonaparte 
then returned, and proceeded to realize his prediction 
upon Lusignan's division. That body, on witnessing 
the disasters of the Austrian army, soon perceived what 
would be its own fate. Bonaparte, after firing upon it 



78 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

with grape-shot, ordered the 18th and the 75th demi- 
brigades to charge. -These brave demi-brigades moved 
onwards, singing the chant du depart, and drove Lusig- 
nan back by the road which Rey was coming up with the 
reserve. The Austrian corps at first made a stand, 
then retreated, and came full butt upon the advanced 
guard of Rey's division. Terrified at this sight, it sought 
the clemency of the conqueror, and laid down its arms, 
to the number of four thousand men. Two thousand 
had been taken in the defile of the Adige. 

It was five o'clock. The Austrian army was almost 
annihilated. Lusignan was taken. The infantry which 
had advanced from the mountains, was flying over the 
rugged declivities. The principal column was pent up 
on the bank of the river, while the subordinate division 
of Wukassovich was an idle spectator of the disaster, 
separated by the Adige from the field of battle. The 
French general had had several horses killed under him, 
and had received several slight wounds, but in spite of 
his constant activity and exposure, he was still ready 
to follow up his victory immediately. The battle of 
La Favorita ensued, in which the army of Provera was 
annihilated. In three days, twenty-three thousand men 
were captured. Massena's troops had marched and 
fought four days and nights, without any considerable 
intermission. The intrepid general himself, afterwards 
received the title of Duke of Rivoli. Mantua was at 
the feet of Bonaparte, and Italy was won. 





BONAPARTE CROSSING THE ALPS AT TARWIS. 

TF23 SMBP-FQIBg ©53 TEE AILIP& 




LTHOUGH Bonaparte had per- 
formed amazing, and, in some 
respects, unparalleled, exploits 
in Italy, there was a general 
disposition among both French- 
men and foreigners to set up 
inferior commanders as his 
rivals. Now it was Moreau, 
then Massena ; then Hoehe, and then the young Arch- 

(79) 



80 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

duke Charles, of Austria. The last mentioned had at- 
tained a high reputation by a campaign in which he 
triumphed over Generals Moreau and Jour dan, but his 
valor and skill, although great, were overrated, as Bo- 
naparte and Massena soon rendered evident. 

The Archduke took command of the Austrian army 
of Italy, and on the 6th of February, 1797, advanced 
his head-quarter to Innspruck. During that month, his 
engineers visited the passes of the Julien and Noric 
Alps, which it had been designed to fortify. Napoleon, 
having about fifty-three thousand troops under his com- 
mand, resolved to astonish his enemy by a rapid and 
daring march upon the passes of the Alps before they 
could be fortified. He formed the plan of a campaign, 
the great object of which was the Austrian capital, Vi- 
enna, and the execution was as prompt as the concep- 
tion was bold. The Tagliamento was passed, and the 
enemy completely defeated; the passes of the Alps 
were carried, after a tremendous struggle. Joubert 
beat the Austrians in the Tyrol, the Archduke's repu- 
tation was reduced to its proper dimensions, and Vienna 
trembled, having no means of resisting the all-conquer- 
ing Bonaparte. Tarwis is the loftiest pass of the ±S oric 
Alps. It is above the clouds and is generally covered 
with snow and ice, which give it a desolate and terrible 
aspect. It overlooks Germany and Dalmatia. At this 
point the roads leading to Italy and Trieste separate ; 
the road to Italy running west, and that leading to 
Trieste running south. At this place, Bonaparte fixed 
his head-quarters, shortly after the pass had been cap- 
tured bv the indomitable Massena. It was the last 



THE ALPS, 81 

day of March. The weather was intensely cold, and 
and the body of troops accompanying the French gene- 
ral suffered severely. Bonaparte and his aids were 
snugly quartered in the rude chalets, which are the only 
habitations upon the height of Tarwis. The soldiers 
were grouped amid a cordon of fires, the fuel for which 
they had brought from a great distance below, with a 
vast amount of labor and difficulty. Yet they shivered 
beside the crackling blaze. It was a wild and startling 
scene. The night was cloudy — the wind, keen and fu- 
rious. The red glare of the fires was reflected by walls 
of ice and blood-stained snow. As the soldiers wrapped 
themselves in their blankets, crept as close to the fires 
as they could get, and conversed with a French attempt 
at gaiety, they were surprised to see their beloved ge- 
neral, accompanied by Berthier and Duroc, come out 
of a chalet, to examine their condition, and speak a 
word of cheer. 

" A freezing time, men ; but it will be hot enough 
soon," he remarked to a group of veterans. 

.'" The cold is more terrible than the Austrians, gene- 
ral," said one of them, with an attempt at a laugh. 

" But it cannot conquer the conquerors of Italy," re- 
plied Bonaparte. Thus he went among the brave men 
who followed his standard, and thus he communicated 
his own spirit to all with whom he came in contact. 
After traversing the whole ground occupied by the 
troops, the French general returned to his quarters to 
repose. 

Beneath a kinff of shed in the rear of the chalet, seve- 
ral of the Guides were seated round a cheerful fire, 

11 



1 



82 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

smoking pipes and conversing of the recent actions and 
their thrilling incidents. Among them were Bessieres 
and Lemarois. The wall of the chalet, which formed 
the rear of the shed, served to keep off the fury of the 
wind, so that this place was comfortable, compared with 
the position of the soldiers. Besides, the hearts of 
these veterans had been gladdened with abundance of 
good eating at the chalet, and satisfaction was evident 
in their faces. The manly face of Bessieres, wore that 
expression of calm circumspection, which it never lost 
in the thickest of battle. 

" The passage of the Tagliamento," said this brave 
leader, "will take rank with any similar exploit, recorded 
in history." 

" It must be acknowledged that the archduke had 
posted his forces in an admirable style," said young 
Lemarois. " His artillery covered the level shingle of 
the river, and his fine cavalry, deployed on the wings, 
so as to be brought rapidly into service, was an admi- 
rable disposition." 

"Yes," said Bessieres, "but as usual, the character 
of the manoeuvres which defeated the Austrians throws 
all their dispositions into insignificance. Was there 
ever a general so fertile of stratagem as Bonaparte ? 
See how quickly he determined upon a plan to diminish 
the vigilance of the enemy ! An immense number of 
men might have been lost if he had attempted the pas- 
sage of the river as soon as he reached its banks. But 
he valued the lives of his soldiers too much, to throw 
them away, when a simple stratagem could save them. 
The Austrians naturally supposed that after marching 



THE ALPS, 83 

all night, he wanted rest, and when the general ordered 
us to halt and begin to partake of our soup, they were 
completely deceived. How the archduke must have 
opened his eyes, when he saw us get suddenly in motion 
at noon !" 

" The disposition of our forces was so admirable that 
it made some of our own skilful officers open their eyes," 
said Lemarois. " Look at it ! Guyeux's division on 
the left, and Bernadotte's on the right, by which arrange- 
ment the troops of Italy and the soldiers of the Rhine 
were brought into a noble rivalry. Then battalions of 
grenadiers were formed. At the head of each divi- 
sion was placed the light infantry, ready to disperse as 
sharp-shooters, then the grenadiers who were to charge, 
and the dragoons who were to support them. Each 
demi-brigade had its first battalions, deployed in line, 
and the two others arranged in close column on the 
wings of the first. The cavalry hovered on the wings. 
A finer disposition could not have been made." 

" Grossing the river was a glorious scene !" said Bes- 
sieres. " The light infantry covered the bank with a 
cloud of sharp-shooters. Then the grenadiers entered 
the water. ' Soldiers of the Rhine !" exclaimed Berna- 
dotte, c the army of Italy has its eyes upon you.' Each 
division displayed the utmost bravery in the charge ; we 
can make no distinction between them." 

" No, indeed," observed a grim-visaged Guide, who 
sat next to Bessieres." Our soldiers called the troops 
of the Rhine tlve contingent, and treated them with the 
greatest contempt before the battle. A number of sabre 
cuts were exchanged on account of this raillery. But 



84 \ CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the contingent proved themselves worthy of any army 
at Tagliamento. They drove the Austrians before them 
like a flock of sheep. 

" All acted in a manner worthy of France/' said Lem- 
arois. The archduke was routed and the line of the 
Tagliamento cleared in a remarkably short time." 

" What is the name of that general of cavalry who 
was captured V inquired one of the Guides — a burly 
fellow, with a good-humored cast of countenance. 

" I forget his name," replied Bessieres ; " but I can- 
not forget that he is a brave man, and that he fought 
with a courage and resolution which put most of his 
countrymen to shame. 

" To be just, however," observed Lemarois, " there 
are many gallant officers in the Austrian army. It is 
not their fault if they have not a Bonaparte to bring 
victory to their standard. They have a large number 
of hearts following their flag, as intrepid as old Wurmser. 
But strange to say, they have never had a first class 
general. 

" That's about the truth of the matter," commented 
the burly Guide. 

"By the way, Jacques," said Bessieres, "it seems to 
be getting colder as the night advances. Put on a 
little more of that wood. Its bad enough fuel, though, 
for it smokes abominably." 

Jacques was the burly Guide previously alluded to. 
He obeyed the order of his commander. 

" The men outside ought to have plenty of provision 
to console them amid their sufferings on such a night. 
They will scarcely dare to sleep," said Lemarois. 



THE ALPS. 85 

u l saw onr general out among them a short time 
ago/' replied Bessieres. "A few sympathetic words 
from him will do more than any amount of provision." 

" That's a fact," said the grim veteran who sat next 
to the commander of the Guides. "They knew that 
he feels for them, and that he would help them if he 
could. See there at St. George, an outpost of Man- 
tua, where there was a necessity for constant vigilance, 
to prevent Provera from surprising us, and relieving 
Wurmser, The general visiting one of the outposts 
at night, found a sentinel lying at the foot of a tree, 
where he had fallen fast asleep from exhaustion. He 
took the soldier's musket and walked backwards and 
forwards on sentry for more than half an hour. Sud- 
denly the soldier started up, and was terrified at seeing 
General Bonaparte on duty ; he expected nothing less 
than death. But the general spoke kindly to him, told 
him that after his great fatigues, he wanted sleep ; but 
cautioned him against chosing such a time. That is the 
way for a general to make heroes out of soldiers. That 
sentinel would have risked his life at any time to give 
victory to General Bonaparte." 

" Bonaparte is every inch of a general, a soldier and 
a man," said Bessieres. 

" Some miserable judges wish to set up this young 
Archduke Charles as a rival to our general," said 
Lemarois. " Why, this battle of Tarwis, in which he 
had every thing in his favor, proves that he is not by 
a great deal, up to the measure of Massena." 

" Have you heard the full particulars of the struggle 
at this pass?" inquired Bessieres. u Battles come so 



86 CAMP-FIRES OS NAPOLEON. 

rapidly, that it is difficult to gain a complete knowledge 
of them." 

" I was present when an officer of Massena's division 
who participated in the light communicated the intel- 
ligence/' replied Lemarois. " While we were advancing 
to Gradisca, General Massena pressed forward, reached 
this pass, and made himself master of it without much 
difficulty. The division of Bayalitsch, proceeding across 
the sources of the Izonzo to anticipate Massena at the 
pass, would therefore find the outlet closed. The 
Archduke Charles, foreseeing this result, left the rest 
of his army on the Friule and Carniola road, with 
orders to come and rejoin him behind the Alps at Kla- 
genfurt; he then himself made the utmost haste to 
Yillach, where numerous detachments were coming up 
from the Rhine, to make a fresh attack on the pass, to 
drive Massena from it, and to re-open the road for 
Bayalitsch's division. Bonaparte, on his side, left 
Bernadotte's division to pursue the divisions that were 
retreating into Carniola, and with Guyeux's and Ser- 
rurier's divisions, proceeded to harass the Bayalitsch 
division in its rear, in its passage through the valley of 
the Izonzo. Prince Charles, after rallying behind the 
Alps the wrecks of Lusignan and Orksay, who had 
lost the pass, reinforced them with six thousand grena- 
diers, the finest and bravest soldiers in the imperial 
service, and again attacked the pass, where Massena 
had left scarcely a detachment. He succeeded in 
recovering it, and posted himself here with the regi- 
ments of Lusignan and Orksay, and the six thousand 
grenadiers. Massena collected his whole division, in 



THE ALPS. 87 

order to carry it again. Both generals were sensible of 
the importance of this point. Tarwis retaken, the French 
army would be masters of the Alps, and would make 
prisoners of the whole of Bayalitsch's division. Mas- 
sena rushed on headlong with his brave infantry, and 
suffered as usual in person. Prince Charles was not 
less chary of himself than the republican general, and 
several times ran the risk of being taken by the French 
riflemen. Whole lines of cavalry were thrown down 
and broken on this frightful field of battle. At length, 
after having brought forward his last battalion, the 
Archduke Charles abandoned Tarwis to his pertinacious 
adversary, and found himself compelled to sacrifice 
Bayalitsch's division. Massena, left master of Tarwis, 
fell down upon that division which now came up, 
attacked it in front, while it was pressed in the rear by 
the divisions of Gluyeux and Serrurier. That division 
had no other resource than to be made prisoners ; and 
our army captured all the baggage, artillery and ammu- 
nition of the enemy that had followed this route. For 
my part, I think that a good general could have main- 
tained this pass against a greatly superior force." 

"It is a strong position, and it does not appear 
to me that it could be turned," observed Bessieres. 
"However," continued he, rising, "the pass is ours; 
Joubert has beaten the enemy and will soon join us ; 
the archduke is completely beaten, and there is scarcely 
an obstacle in the way of a march to Vienna. These 
are the results of a march as daring and skilful as any 
ever conceived by a general. So much glory for Gene- 
ral Bonaparte, and renown to the arms of France. 



88 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



Come, Lemarois, we will enter the chalet, and strive to 
gain some repose. Keep up your spirits, men, and 
above all keep up the fire. Good night !" 

And keen and swiftly blew the Alpine wind, and 
redly blazed the fires of Tarwis till the light of day 
arose from the ashes of the night. Then the French 
general pursued his march. He united his forces ; 
Vienna was threatened, and the treaty of Campo For- 
mio was extorted from Austria. 




i^svr 




A POL EON'S ARRIVAL IN EGYPT. 



Page 




rag saibhp-fihbb ®ei rag E3Qty£< 



giving 
On an 



HE evening of the 21st of 
July, 1798, had cast its 
shadows on the Nile. Al- 
though the day had been 
excessively warm, the air 
was now cool and pleasant. 
The full moon was gradu- 
ally deepening the placid 
splendor of her light, and 
a silvery sheen to the winding waters of the river, 
elevated terrace, in the distance, could be dis- 
12 (89) 







90 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

tinguished the bold and gorgeous minarets and gilded 
domes of Cairo. The villages of Bulak and Shoubra 
were nestled on the river banks, overlooking a vast 
extent of cultivated plain, rich in vineyards and grain. 
The great obelisk of Heliopolis stood out against the 
eastern sky; and the vast Lybian desert stretched 
away in desolation to the west. In the midst of this 
sea of sand, could be faintly distinguished the awful 
forms of the great pyramids of Ghizeh, from which 
that day, "forty centuries had looked down,". upon the 
victory achieved by Bonaparte over the Mameluke 
tyrants of Egypt. 

The French were encamped upon the banks of the 
Nile; and the light of their watch-fires could be seen 
for a great distance along the river. The victorious 
general was at Ghizeh, having fixed his quarters in the 
country-seat of Murad Bey. But although the watch- 
fires were burning, the soldiers of the conquering army 
were not gathered around them. No; the spoils of 
victory would not let them rest. They had suffered 
much in the dreary march towards Cairo, and fought 
bravely in overcoming the gallant cavalry of the 
Egyptian army, and now very naturally sought to 
repay themselves for their hardships and toils. The 
field of battle was covered with the troops, who were 
engaged in stripping the valuable articles from the 
bodies of the slain Mamelukes. Among the spoils 
thus obtained were splendid shawls, weapons of fine 
workmanship, purses, some of which contained as many 
as two and three hundred pieces of gold; for the 
Mamelukes carried all their ready money on their 



THE NILE 93 

persons. More than a thousand of these Egyptian 
warriors had been drowned in the Nile ; and even now, 
by the light of the moon, the French troops were 
engaged in dragging for the bodies, to swell the amount 
of their booty. A more indefatigable set of spoil- 
seekers never won a victory. 

The Mamelukes had sixty vessels on the Nile, con- 
taining the bulk of their riches. In consequence of 
the unexpected result of the battle, they lost all hope 
of saving them, and set them on fire. The great blaze 
suddenly rising to the sky, caused the French troops to 
pause in the midst of their search for valuables. They 
knew the contents of those vessels, and they beheld 
the gradual destruction of those vast treasures with 
feelings of disappointment not easily delineated. During 
the whole night, through the volumes of smoke and 
flame, the French could perceive the forms of the 
minarets and buildings of Cairo and the City of the 
Dead ; and the red glare was even gloriously reflected by 
the Pyramids. To increase the terrors of the scene, the 
wild and treacherous populace of Cairo, learning the 
disasters of their countrymen, set fire to the splendid 
palaces of the Beys, and these great edifices blazed 
and crackled up against the sky throughout the night. 

About nine, in the evening, Bonaparte, accompanied 
by Berthier, Desaix, Lannes, Begnier, and nearly all 
his principal officers, and even a number of the privates, 
entered the country-house of Murad Bey, at Ghizeh. 
This residence presented a magnificent appearance at 
a distance, and a close inspection disclosed many 
additional beauties. But it was a point of some diffi- 



w% 1 



94 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

eulty at first to make it serve for a lodging, or to com- 
prehend the distribution of the apartments. But what 
chiefly struck the officers with surprise, was the great 
quantity of cushions and divans covered with the finest 
damasks and Lyons silks, and ornamented with gold 
fringe. For the first time, they found the luxury and 
arts of Europe in Egypt — the cradle of luxury and 
arts. Bonaparte and his staff explored this singular 
structure in every direction. The gardens were full of 
magnificent trees, but without avenues, and not unlike 
the gardens in some of the nunneries of Italy. The 
soldiers were much elated at the discovery of large 
arbors of vines, burdened with the finest grapes in the 
world. The rapid vintage excited the laughter of the 
French generals, who, themselves, joined in the scram- 
ble for the delicious fruit. 

In the meantime, the two divisions of Bon and 
Menou, which had remained behind in an entrenched 
camp, were equally well supplied. Among the bag- 
gage taken, had been found a great number of canteens 
full of preserves, both of confectionary and sweetmeats, 
besides carpets, porcelain, vases of perfume, and a mul- 
titude of little elegancies used by the Mamelukes. All 
these luxuries had been purchased by the oppression 
of the mass of the Egyptians, and it was but a stroke 
of justice which took them from the oppressor. 

The French troops, who had murmured much while 
traversing the hot sands of the desert, now fell in 
love with Egypt, and began to hope for a career of 
easy conquest and rare enjoyment. Their general 
was pleased at their change of tone, and permitted 



THE NILE. 97 

them to revel amidst the fruits of their labor and 
endurance. 

Bonaparte and his officers spent the greater part of 
the night in exploring the residence of Murad Bey. 
Towards morning they reclined upon its luxurious 
couches, and while the conflagration raged without, and 
the soldiers were revelling among the spoil, these 
veteran officers indulged in repose. A short time pre- 
vious these gallant men had shared Bonaparte's doubt 
and anxiety as he stood upon the deck of a vessel, in 
the harbor of Alexandria, viewing the shores of the 
land of the Pharoahs. Now they could sleep in the 
confidence of continued victory. 

On the 20th of July, the young conqueror of the 
Pyramids, entered Grand Cairo, receiving the humble 
submission of the Shieks and the shouts of the throng- 
ing populace. The capital of Egypt was in the power 
of the French. 



13 




TTG2S 8MBIP-PI1IBS AT mmm TAUm 




JtjT" N Lower Galilee, to the 
north-east of the great 
plain of Esdraelon, rises 
an eminence rendered 



intensely interesting by mem- 
ories sacred and profane. It 
| is Mount Tabor. Although 
surrounded by chains of 
^gf~ '-,- ^0^^?- mountains on nearly all sides, 

^SEsSe^Sli^^- it is the only one that stands 
entirely aloof from its neighbors. The figure of the 
mount approaches that of a semi-sphere, and presents a 
(98) 



MOUNT TABOR. 99 

regular appearance. Its ground figure is usually described 
as round ; and, indeed, seems to be perfectly so to those 
coming from the midst of the great plain, or from the 
sea of Galilee. But, in reality, it is really somewhat 
longer from east to west than broad, so that its true 
figure is oval. The height of this mountain has never 
been subjected to actual measurement. It appears, how- 
ever, that it occupies three hours to travel round the 
base of the mountain ; that an hour is generally required 
to reach the summit by a circuitous path, and that the 
plain upon the top of the eminence is seldom traversed 
in less time than half an hour. 

The mountain is inaccessible except on the north, 
where the ascent offers so little difficulty that there are 
few parts which suggest to the traveler the prudence or 
necessity of dismounting from his horse. This remark- 
able mountain offers so rare a combination of the bold 
and beautiful, that pilgrims of all ages have expatiated 
upon its glories with untiring wonder and delight. The 
trees of various species, and the bushes always green, 
with which it is invested, and the small groves with 
which it is crowned, contribute no less than its figure 
to its perfect beauty. Ounces, wild boars, gazelles, and 
hares, are among the animals which find shelter in its 
more wooded parts ; while the trees are tenanted by 
" birds of every wing," whose warblings and motions 
beguile the fatigues of the ascent. " The path," says Mr. 
Stephens, " wound around the mountain, and gave us a 
view from all its different sides, every step presenting 
something new, and more and more beautiful, until all 
was completely forgotten and lost in the exceeding love- 



ly of C. 



100 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

liness of the view from the summit. Stripped of every 
association, and considered merely as an elevation com- 
manding a view of unknown valleys and mountains, I 
never saw a mountain which, for beauty of scene, better 
repaid the toil of ascending it." 

The view it commands is magnificent. To the north, 
in successive ranges, are the mountains of Galilee, backed 
by the mighty Lebanon ; and Safet, as always, stands 
out in prominent relief. To the north-east is the Mount 
of Beatitudes, with its peculiar outline and interesting 
associations ; behind which rise Great Hermon, and the 
whole chain of Anti-Lebanon. To the east are the hills 
of the Haouran, and the country of the Gadarenes, below 
which the eye catches a glimpse of the Lake of Tiberius, 
while to the south-east it crosses the valley of the 
Jordan, and rests on the high land of Bashan. Due 
south rise the mountains of Gilboa, and behind them 
those of Samaria, stretching far to the west. On the 
south-south-west the villages of Endor and Nain are seen 
on the Little Hermon. Mount Carmel and the Bay of 
Acre appear on the north-west ; and towards them flows, 
through the fertile plains of Esdraelon, "that great 
river, the River Kishon," now dwindled into a. little 
stream. Each feature in this prospect is beautiful : the 
eye and mind are delighted ; and, by a combination of 
objects and associations, unusual to fallen man, earthly 
scenes, which more than satisfy the external sense, 
elevate the soul to heavenly contemplations. 

The beautiful upper plain is inclosed by a wall, — 
probably the same which was built by Josephus, when 
Governor of Galilee, — and contains some ruins, which 




JUNOT. 



MOUNT TABOR. 103 

are probably those of the two monasteries, which, ac- 
cording to William of Tyre, were built here by Godfrey 
of Bouillon, in the place of others of earlier date which 
the Moslems had destroyed. The plain has at different 
times been under cultivation ; but when, from oppres- 
sion or fear, abandoned by the cultivator, it becomes a 
table of rich gra^s and wild flowers, which send forth a 
most refreshing and luxurious odor. In summer the 
dews fall copiously on Tabor, and a strong wind blows 
over it all day. 

Tabor is chiefly interesting to the Christian, how- 
ever, as the supposed scene of the Transfiguration, 
when Christ appeared in glory, with Moses, and Elias. 
To the reader of profane history and the student of 
the career of Napoleon Bonaparte, it is also rendered 
interesting as the scene of a decisive victory gained 
by the French general over some of the bravest forces 
of the East. 

It was the night of the 16th of April. The victo- 
rious French had encamped at the foot of Mount Tabor. 
The evening had set in calmly and beautifully, above 
a plain heaped .with the dead of the annihilated army, 
but the deep shadows of night had scarcely descended, 
before the French general-in-chief ordered all the vil- 
lages of the Naplousians to be set on fire ; and although 
they were distant, their red fight was so glaring, that 
it illumined the field of battle and the camp of the 
victors, and rendered evident many ghastly features 
of the scene. 

At the tent of General Kleber were assembled that 
gallant officer, Junot, Murat and Bon. Bonaparte was 



104: CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

in his tent, surrounded by his faithful Guides. Just 
outside of the line of tents the watch-fires were 
brightly burning, and the sentinels paced up and down 
with solemn tread. Kleber, and his brothers in glory, 
were seated on camp-stools around a table, on which 
were several bottles of wine. After Napoleon himself, 
Kleber was the most remarkable man of the army of 
Egypt. See him there, with his large and powerful 
frame — his great head of shaggy hair, his quick, 
piercing eyes, prominent features, and slovenly cos- 
tume. Great-souled Jean Baptiste Kleber ! The revo- 
lution found him a peaceful architect. He entered the 
ranks as a grenadier, and rose to be esteemed a military 
genius indispensable to France, and a commander as 
humane and generous as he was brave and skilful. 
Always peevish, he yet was guilty of no -bitterness of 
action — mean conduct was with him an impossibility. 
Opposite Kleber sat Andoche Junot. His mild, pleasant, 
handsome features expressed nothing of the indomitable 
spirit which he ever displayed in action ; but his eyes 
were quick and intelligent. His costume was much 
cut and soiled by the desperate service he had per- 
formed during the last two days. Murat was as usual 
finely dressed. He seemed weary, and drank deeply 
to revive his spirits. Most terrible had been the 
slaughter of his sabres that day on the banks of the 
Jordan. General Bon had nothing remarkable in his 
appearance. The expression of his sun-burned coun- 
tenance was that of firmness, united with intelligence 
and promptitude. 

" I wonder how things go on at Acre," said Junot. 




N A F O L E O N AT ACRK. 



Page 106. 



MOUNT TABOR. IUo 

" Bad as usual," replied Kleber. " The place cannot 
be taken, that is evident. It was clear to me long ago, 
that Sidney Smith, and the engineer Philippeaux have 
stimulated the troops to extraordinary exertions. They 
repulse every assault ; and as we have no siege trains, 
where is our chance for taking the town. Nowhere, 
nowhere — and so I told General Bonaparte — the stub- 
born specimen of lean genius. We shall waste our 
army before the walls of that place, and gain nothing ; 
whereas, if the siege were raised, we might yet do much 
for Egypt. 

u Then here must end our general's grand project 
for striking a blow at the English dominion in Asia," 
observed Bon. 

" Aye," said Kleber, " and it was folly to entertain 
such projects after the destruction of our fleet at Abou- 
kir, by that confounded Englishman, Nelson. The most 
we could hope to do after that was to consolidate our 
empire in Egypt, and that would have been no ordinary 
task. But this ' Little Corporal,' will not listen to any 
one." 

" The march to El Arisch, across that burning desert 
was bad enough ; but I'm afraid that we shall have the 
same thing to do again, under worse circumstances," 
said Murat. 

" But this battle has won us glories enough to atone 
for many hardships," remarked Junot. " At first the 
prospect was desperate enough." 

" You, Junot, have certainly increased your reputa- 
tion," said Bon. "The advanced guard which you 
commanded consisted of, at most, but five hundred men. 

14 



106 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Yet with that force you dared to encounter the enemy 
on the 8th, and not only covered the field with their 
dead, but took five stand of colors, and came off with 
but little loss." 

" Very well, but that is scarcely worthy of mention 
when we consider the long and successful defence 
made by Kleber's whole division on the ground." 

" If I had not arrived too late last night, I might 
have surprised the Turkish army, and then that long 
defence would have been unnecessary. I designed to 
attemp the surprise," said Kleber. 

" The number of the enemy surprised me this morning, 
when they were drawn up in battle array," said Junot. 
" Fifteen thousand infantry occupied the village of 
Fouli, and more than twelve thousand horse were drawn 
up in the plain, while we had scarcely three thousand 
infantry in square." 

" They made an imposing show, but they were met 
with such steady bravery, and such a blaze of fire, that 
their ranks seemed to melt away like mist before the 
sun," said Kleber. " However, it was well that Gene- 
ral Bonaparte came up. The furious charges of the 
Turkish cavalry had begun to make an impression on 
my ranks, and it is probable enough they might have 
been broken in the course of the afternoon, if the 
general-in-chief had not brought up your division, Bon, 
and made those admirable dispositions, which placed 
the enemy between two fires, and soon put them to the 
rout. A tremendous fire discharged from three points 
of the triangle, sent the Mamelukes away in heaps. 
We took the village of Fouli — yes, Fouli, you call it — 



MOUNT TABOR, 107 

and then Murat finished the enemy by putting them 
to soak in the waters of the Jordan. It has been a 
glorious day." 

u Six thousand French have destroyed an army which 
the Naplousians stated could no more be numbered 
than the stars in the heavens and the sands on the sea- 
shore," observed Junot " Well, we may fail in the 
conquest of the East, but this victory cannot be for- 
gotten." 

" Besides glory," said Kleber, u it may be as well 
to mention that the booty taken is worth considerable. 
The Turkish camp was well supplied with both neces- 
saries and luxuries. We have taken four hundred 
camels, and the other booty is sufficient to satisfy our 
soldiers." 

"And see," said Bon, "the Naplousians will have 
reason to remember us," and he pulled aside the can- 
vass of the tent and pointed to the red light of the 
burning villages. 

At this moment, General Bonaparte appeared at the 
door of the tent, in company with Bessieres. The 
young general .looked much worn and fatigued. His 
figure was stouter than it had been during the cam- 
paign of Italy ; but his stern countenance still showed 
the hollow cheeks and sunken eyes, caused by the con- 
stant and powerful workings of his genius. His cos- 
tume was much soiled, and its appearance indicated his 
want of attention to such matters during the press of 
the business of life and death. He held some papers 
in his hand. 

" Generals, I hope I do not interrupt your conversa- 



r 



108 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

tion. But business like ours admits of no delay. I 
set off at day-break for Acre, where I am determined 
to press the siege with renewed vigor. I have reason 
to dread that a large Turkish army will soon he landed 
near the mouth of the Nile, and if Acre is to be taken 
at all, we must accomplish the feat very speedily ; and 
it must be taken," said Bonaparte, in his emphatic 
way. 

"Must be taken," said Kleber, always outspoken. 
" My opinion is that the- siege will cost us many valu- 
able lives, and yet not be successful. Every day 
increases tho difficulties of our safe return to Cairo." 

"Yes, yes," said Bonaparte, impatiently, "but it will 
not do to let this Englishman, Sidney Smith, and his 
Turks, baffle the conquerors of Italy and Egypt. 
General Kleber, you will lead your division back to 
Acre; and you, General Bon, will follow. We have 
annihilated our foes in this quarter, and have nothing 
more to fear from them. Hasten your march to Acre, 
and, doubtless, with a few more determined efforts, that 
town will be in our hands." So saying, he bowed,. and 
hurried out of the tent. 

"A man destined to do great things ; but destined 
to be mistaken in his present enterprise," observed 
Kleber. 

Murat now proposed a ride over the field of battle, 
before retiring to repose. The others agreed, and all 
were soon mounted, and cantering away along the line 
of the camp-fires, and among the heaps of the~ dead. 
A large number of the French soldiers were engaged 
in searching, for valuables among the bodies of the 



MOUNT TABOR. 109 

Mamelukes, and to the inquiries ©f the generals, they 
responded that they were reaping a full harvest. 
Around the line occupied by the troops of Kleber's 
division, was seen the wall of carcasses which had 
served as a protection to those gallant men, when they 
had become extremely fatigued by the struggle against 
the overwhelming numbers of the enemy. The light 
of the burning villages, and the watch-fires, was quite 
sufficient to enable them to pursue their spoil-seeking 
occupation. After riding ever the whole field, the 
generals separated, and each sought his tent to stretch 
himself for repose, and to dream ef the glorious inci- 
dents of the victory of Mount Tabor. 




10 




was ® AssKp-yaiBs &r &jmwkm< 



THE battle of Aboukir, was,, 
perhaps, the only instance 
in the history of war, in 
which a hostile army was 
utterly annihilated by an 
inferior force. The victory, 
therefore, was one of the 
most splendid which Bona- 
parte ever achieved. The Turkish army, eonveyed by 
the squadron of Sir Sidney Smith, anchored in Aboukir 
Bay on the 11th of July, 1T9& 
(110) 




ABOUKIR. Ill 

The place fixed upon by the English for their landing, 
was the peninsula which defends this road, and which 
bears the same name. This narrow peninsula runs out 
between the sea and Lake Madieh, and has a fort at its 
extremity. Bonaparte had ordered Marmont, who com- 
manded at Alexandria, to improve the defences of the 
fort, and to destroy the village of Aboukir, situated 
around it. But, instead of destroying the village, he 
thought it better to keep the place in order to lodge 
the soldiers there ; and it had merely been surrounded 
by a redoubt to protect it on the land side. But the 
redoubt not joining on both sides the sea, did not pre- 
sent the appearance of a close work, and put the fort 
on the same footing as a simple field-work. The Turks, 
in fact, landed with great boldness, attacked the in- 
trenchments sword in hand, carried them, and made 
themselves masters of the village of Aboukir, putting 
the garrison to the sword. The village being taken, the 
fort could no longer hold out, and it was obliged to 
surrender. Marmont, who commanded at Alexandria, 
had issued forth, at the head of twelve hundred men, to 
hasten to the assistance of the troops at Aboukir. But 
learning that the Turks had landed in considerable 
numbers, he durst not attempt to drive them into the 
sea by a bold attack. He returned to Alexandria, and 
left them to quietly take up their position on the pen- 
insula of Aboukir. 

The Turks amounted to nearly eighteen thousand 
infantry. These were not the miserable Fellahs who 
had composed the infantry of the Mamelukes; but 
brave janizaries, carrying a musket without bayo- 



112 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

net, slinging it at their back after firing, and rush- 
ing pistol and sword in hand upon the enemy. They 
had a numerous and well-served artillery, and were 
under the direction of English officers. They had no 
cavalry, for they had not brought more than three 
hundred horses ; but they expected Murad Bey, who 
was to leave Upper Egypt, proceed along the desert, 
cross the oasis, and throw himself into Aboukir with 
two or three thousand Mamelukes. 

When Bonaparte was informed of the particulars of 
the landing, he left Cairo instantly, and made from that 
city to Alexandria one of those extraordinary marches 
of which he had given so many instances in Italy. He 
took with him the divisions of Lannes, Bon, and Murat. 
He had ordered Desaix to evacuate Upper Egypt, and 
Kleber and Begnier, who were in the Delta, to bring 
themselves nearer Aboukir. He had chosen the point 
of Birket, midway between Alexandria and Aboukir, 
in order to concentrate his forces thither, and to ma- 
noeuvre according to circumstances. He was very 
fearful lest an English army had landed with the 
Turks. 

Murad Bey, according to the plan settled with Mus- 
tapha Pacha, had tried a descent into Lower Egypt ; 
but being met and beaten by Murat, he had been 
obliged to regain the desert. There was now nothing 
left but the Turkish army to fight, destitute as it was 
of cavalry, but yet encamped behind intrenchments, 
and disposed to stand its ground there with its usual 
pertinacity. Bonaparte, after inspecting Alexandria 
and the admirable works executed by Colonel^ Cretin, 



AJBOUKiR. 113 

and after reprimanding Marmont, his lieutenant, who 
had not dared to attack the Turks at the moment of 
landing, left Alexandria on the 6th Thermidor, (July 
24th. Next clay, the 7th, he was at the entrance of 
the peninsula. His plan was to inclose the Turkish 
army by intrenchments, and to await the arrival of all 
his divisions, for all he had with him were no more than 
the divisions of Lannes, Bon, and Murat, about six 
thousand men-. But on observing the arrangements 
made by the Turks, he altered his intentions, and re- 
solved to attack them immediately, hoping to inclose 
them in the village of Aboukir, and to overwhelm them 
with bombs and howitzers. 

The Turks occupied the furthest end of the peninsula, 
which is very narrow. They were covered by two lines 
of intrenchments. Half a league in advance of the vil- 
lage of Aboukir, where their camp was, they had occu- 
pied two round sand-hills, supported the one on the sea, 
the other on Lake Madieh, and thus forming their right 
and left. In the centre of these two hillocks was a 
village, which they had likewise kept. They had one 
thousand men on the hillock to the right, two thousand 
on the hillock to the left, and three or four thousand 
men in the village. Such was their first fine. The 
second was at the village of Aboukir itself. It consisted 
of the redoubt constructed by the French, and was con- 
nected with the sea by two trenches. It was there 
that they had stationed their principal camp and the 
bulk of their forces. 

Bonaparte made his arrangements with his usual 
promptitude and decision. He ordered General Des- 

15 



114 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

staing, with some battalions, to march to the hill on the 
left, where one thousand Turks were posted j Lannes 
to march to that on the right, where the two thousand' 
others were ; and Murat, who was at the centre, to make 
the cavalry file on the rear of the two hillocks. These 
arrangements were executed with great precision. De- 
staing marched to the hillock on the left, and boldly 
climbed it ; Murat contrived to get at its rear with a 
troop of cavalry. The Turks, when they saw this, aban- 
doned their post, fell in with the cavalry, which cut 
them in pieces, and drove them into the sea, into which 
they chose rather to throw themselves than to surren- 
der. The same operation was executed on the right. 
Lannes attacked the two thousand Mamelukes, Murat 
got at their rear ; and they were in like manner cut to 
pieces and driven into the sea. Destaing and Lannes 
then moved towards the centre, formed by a village, and 
attacked it in front. The Turks there defended them- 
selves bravely, relying upon assistance from the second 
line. A column in fact was detached from the camp of. 
Aboukir ; but Murat, who had already filed upon the 
rear of the village, cut this column in pieces, and drove 
it back into Aboukir. Destaing' s infantry and that of 
Lannes entered the village at the charge step, driving 
the Turks out of it, who were dispersed in all directions, 
and who obstinately refusing to surrender, had no other 
retreat than the sea, wherein they were drowned. 

Already four or five thousand had perished in this 
manner. The first fine was carried ; Bonaparte's ob- 
ject was accomplished, and now, inclosing the-Turks in 
Aboukir, he could bombard them while waiting for the 



A-BOUEHt. 115 

arrival of Kleber and Regnier. But he desired to make 
the most of his success, and to complete his victory that 
very moment. After giving his troops a little breathing 
time, he marched upon the second line. The division 
under Lanusse, which had been left as a reserve, sup- 
ported Lannes and Destaing. The redoubt which cov- 
ered Aboukir was difficult to carry ; it had within it 
nine or ten thousand Turks. On the right, a trench 
joined it to the sea ; on the left, another trench brought 
it further out; but was not continued quite to Lake 
Madieh. The open space was occupied by the enemy, 
and swept by the fire of numerous gun-boats. Bona- 
parte, having accustomed his soldiers to defy the most 
formidable obstacles, sent them upon the enemy's posi- 
tion. His divisions of infantry marched upon the front 
and the right of the redoubt. The cavalry, concealed 
in a wood of palm-trees, had to make the attack on the 
left, and then to cross, under the fire of the gun-boats, 
the open space between the redoubt and Lake Madieh. 
The charge was made ; Lannes and Destaing urged for- 
ward their brave infantry. The 32d marched with 
their pieces on their arms towards the intrenchments, 
and the 18 th got at the rear of the intrenchments on 
the extreme right. The enemy, without waiting for 
them, advanced to meet them. They fought hand to 
hand. The Turkish soldiers, having fired their pieces 
and their two pistols, drew their flashing sabres. They 
endeavored to grasp the bayonets, but received them in 
their flanks before they could lay hold of them. Thus 
a great slaughter took place in the intrenchments. The 
18th was on the point of getting into the redoubt, when 



116 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

a tremendous fire of artillery repulsed it, and sent it 
back to the foot of the works. The gallant Leturcq fell 
gloriously, by desiring to be the last to retire ; Fugieres 
lost an arm. Murat on his part had advanced with his 
cavalry, with a view to clear the space between the fire 
of the redoubt and Lake Maclieh. Several times he had 
dashed forward, and had turned back the enemy ; but 
taken between the two fires of the redoubt, and that of 
the gun-boats, he had been obliged to fall back on the 
rear. Some of his horse-soldiers had advanced to the 
ditches of the redoubt. The efforts of so many brave 
fellows appeared likely to be entirely unavailable. Bona- 
parte looked coolly on this carnage, waiting for a favor- 
able moment to return to the charge. Fortunately the 
Turks, as they usually did, quitted the intrenchments 
for the purpose of cutting off the heads of the slain. 
Bonaparte seized this opportunity, launched forth two 
battalions, one of the 22d, the other of the 69th, which 
inarched upon the intrenchments and carried them. On 
the right, the 18th also took advantage of this opportu-' 
nity, and entered the redoubt. Murat, on his side, 
ordered a fresh charge. One of his divisions of cavalry 
traversed that most exposed space between the intrench- 
ments and the lake, and made his way into the village 
of Aboukir. The Turks, affrighted, fled on all sides, 
and a horrible slaughter of them ensued. They were 
pressed by the point of the bayonet and driven into the 
sea. Murat, at the head of his heroes, penetrated into 
the camp of Mustapha Pacha. The latter, in a fit- of 
despair, snatched up a pistol and fired it at Murat, whom 
he wounded slightly. Murat struck off two of his fingers 



ABOUKIE, 117 

and sent him prisoner to Bonaparte. Such of the Turks 
as were not killed or drowned retired into the fort of 
Aboukir.* 

The proud army of the Turks was* thus completely 
overwhelmed, as if it had been entirely buried by an 
avalanche. Xo wonder that the enthusiastic Kleber, 
after witnessing the manoeuvres that gained this splen- 
did victory, clasped Bonaparte in his arms, and ex- 
claimed, "General, you are as great as the world 
itself/' 

It was the second night after the battle. The army 
was encamped upon the field. Bonaparte was alone in 
his tent. That day he had contrived to obtain from 
Sir Sidney Smith a file of papers from Europe, from 
which he eagerly sought information as to the condition 
and prospects of France. He had dismissed all his 
officers, and now, as they were either carousing in their 
tents, or wandering among the camp-fires of the troops, 
he sat in his tent to obtain that information which was 
destined to lead to such great and decisive plans. See 
him, as he sits there, with his eyes keenly fixed upon 
the papers, and an occasional smile fighting up his fea- 
tures of bronze ! He learns the calamities which have 
visited the armies of France, and then the smile is 
turned to a terrible frown, and he exclaims, pas- 
sionately, 

" The imbeciles ! the imbeciles ! Why was I not 
there?" 

He perused the accounts of the overthrow of the 
French armies in Italy and Germany ; he saw that all 

* Thiers. 



118 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

that lie had gained for France, had been lost ; he knew 
that these disasters would not have occurred if he had 
retained a European command; and he felt more 
strongly than ever that he was destined to retrieve the 
condition of affairs, to bind victory once more to the 
tri-color standard. Perhaps, also, his mind perceived 
the opportunity for gratifying the aspirations of a 
selfish ambition, and that this perception caused the 
frown to melt once more into a smile — -a smile of tri- 
umph. He saw that the disasters attending the French 
arms had rendered the Directory unpopular, and that 
power was within the reach of any bold, decisive man, 
who would dare to attempt the overthrow of that 
government; and he had faith enough in himself to 
decide that he was the very man for the crisis. Long 
he read, and long he pondered. Csesar deliberated 
upon the banks of the Rubicon. At length he started 
up. The die was cast. He would return to France 
and strike for the supreme authority. Having once 
decided upon his movements, no man could have taken 
his measures with more promptitude. He resolved to 
sail secretly for Europe. He wrote a dispatch to 
Admiral Gantheaume, directing him to get the Muiron 
and Carrere frigates ready for sea. He. determined 
that as Kleber was very popular with the army, that 
general should be left in command. There could be no 
doubt of Kleber's vigor, activity and skill. Bonaparte 
then sat down, and, with astonishing rapidity and pre- 
cision, drew up a long list of instructions for the new 
commander-in-chief. He then sent word to Berthier, 
Lannes, Murat, Andreossy, Marmont, Berthollet, and 



ABOTTKIR. 119 

Monge, that he wished to see them in his tent. It was 
late. But they came, without exception, at his sum- 
mons. Kleber and Menou were then at Cairo, or they, 
also, would have been invited to this important confe- 
rence. In a few words, Bonaparte communicated his 
sudden resolution to those officers he had assembled 
around him. They were surprised, but when he told 
them that he wished them to go with him, they were 
glad ; for in spite of the glory achieved in Egypt, they 
were anxious to return to France. Berthier had been 
suffering for some time from depression of spirits, 
owing to a long standing matrimonial engagement ; and 
he fairly leaped from his seat when he heard of the 
intention of the general-in-chief. Monge, that circum- 
spect votary of science, hinted that there was the 
greatest danger of the whole party being captured by 
the English cruisers, which were exceedingly vigilant 
in the Mediterranean. The only reply was the brief 
and emphatic " I must incur the risk." The officers 
cast significant glances at each other, but it was 
extremely doubtful if they fathomed his designs. 

" I have received ill news from Europe, my friends," 
said Bonaparte, turning over his papers, and seemingly 
attending to several matters at once. u The Austrians 
and Muscovites have gained the superiority. That 
which we won with so much toil has been lost, and 
France is threatened with the invasion of her territory. 
We are wanted in Europe, and in spite of winds, waves, 
and English cruisers, we must go thither." 

Soon afterwards the conference was broken up, and 
the general-in-chief was again alone in his tent — nay, 



120 



CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 



not alone, for the images of ambition were fast crowding 
around hhn, and they were companions whom he valued 
more than the ordinary human realities of the camp. 
And there this all-daring, all-achieving soldier sat till 
the peep of day, perfecting his plans, the ultimate 
reach of which was a throne above thrones ; for it was 
his habit of mind never to form a design which did not 
extend to the farthest point. In war, it was the con- 
quest of a world at which he aimed ; in politics, consul 
nor king could satisfy the cravings of his soul — he 
would be an emperor. Doubtless, his Rubicon v\ as at 
Aboukir, and there the die was cast which determined 
him to be master of France. 





6Ma3>-!?IlIBI§ 053 TTffilEE WAIIABY ®P &®§m 




^rE are now to behold Bo- 
naparte as First Consul 
gfc of France — as the suc- 
cessful rival of the Car- 
thagenian Hannibal in 
the prodigious exploit 
of leading an army 
over the lofty and win- 
try Alps — and as the 
conqueror of his old enemies the Austrians. 

The time was May, 1800. At Paris, Bonaparte had 
formed the plan of the most astonishing of his cam- 
paigns, with a precision so wonderful that it pointed to 
the very spot on which the decisive battle should be 
fought. While the intrepid Massena defended Genoa 

16 (121) 




122 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

with unwearied energy, and Moreau engaged the atten- 
tion of the Austrians on the line of the Danube, the 
First Consul had created a third army, caused the 
passes of the Alps to be explored, determined to take 
that of the Great St. Bernard, and achieved the pas- 
sage as far as the vale of Aosta, where an unexpected 
obstacle was found in the fortress of Bard. 

The valley of Aosta is traversed by a river which 
receives all the waters of the St. Bernard, and carries 
them into the Po, under the name of Dora-Baltea. As 
it approaches Bard, the valley narrows ; the road lying 
between the base of the mountains and the bed of the 
river becomes gradually more contracted, until at length, 
a rock, which seems to have fallen from the neighbor- 
ing crags into the middle of the valley, almost entirely 
blocks it. The river then runs on one side of the rock, 
and the road proceeds on the other. This road lined 
with houses composes all the town of Bard. On the 
top of the rock stands a fort, impregnable by its posi- 
tion, though ill-constructed, which sweeps with its fire, 
on the right,- the whole course of the Dora-Baltea, and 
on the left, the long street forming the little town of 
Bard. Drawbridges close the entrance and the outlet 
of this single street. A garrison, small in number, but 
well commanded, occupied this fort. 

The brave and persevering Lannes commanded the 
advanced division of the French. He was not a man 
to be easily stopped. He immediately put forward a 
few companies of grenadiers, who broke down the draw- 
bridge, and, in -the face of a sweeping fire, entBred Bard. 
The commandant of the fort then poured a storm of shot 



THE VALLEY OF AOSTA. 123 

and shell upon the town, but was soon induced to cease, 
by a feeling of compassion for the inhabitants. Lannes 
stationed his division out of the town and under cover ; 
but it was impossible to pass the materiel of the army 
under the fire of the fort. He then reported to Gene- 
ral Berthier, who, coming up, was dismayed at the 
unexpected obstacle. General Marescot, the skilful 
engineer of the army, was then brought forward. 

He examined the fort, and declared it nearly impreg- 
nable, not on account of its construction, which was 
indifferent, but from its position, which was entirely iso- 
lated. The escarpment of the rock did not admit esca- 
lading, and the walls, though not covered by an embank- 
ment, could not be battered in breach, as there was no 
possibility of" establishing a battery in a position suita- 
ble for breaching them. Nevertheless, it was possible, 
by strength of arm, to hoist a few guns of small calibre 
to the top of the neighboring heights. Berthier gave 
orders to this end. The soldiers, who were used to the 
most difficult undertakings, went to work eagerly to 
hoist up two four-pounders, and even two eight-pounders. 
These they in fact succeeded in elevating to the 
mountain of Albaredo, which overlooks the rock and 
fort of Bard; and a plunging fire, suddenly opened, 
greatly surprised the garrison, which, nevertheless, did 
not lose courage, but replied, and soon dismounted one 
of the guns, which were of too feeble a calibre to be 
useful. 

Marescot declared that there was no hope of taking 
the fort, and that some other means must be devised 
for overcoming this obstruction. Berthier, in great 



124 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

alarm, instantly counter-ordered all the columns as they 
successively came up ; suspended the march of the men 
aud the artillery all along the hue, in order to prevent 
them from involving themselves further, should it be 
necessary, after all, to retreat. An instant panic circu- 
lated to the rear, and all the men thought themselves 
arrested in this glorious enterprise. Berthier sent cou- 
rier after cornier to the First Consul, to inform him of 
this unexpected disappointment. 

The latter tarried still at Martigny, not meaning to 
pass over the St. Bernard, until he had seen, with his 
own eyes, the last of the artillery sent forward. But 
this announcement of an obstacle, considered insur- 
mountable at first, made a terrible impression on him ; 
but he recovered quickly, and refused positively to ad- 
mit the possibility of a retreat. Nothing in the world 
should reduce him to such an extremity. He thought 
that, if one of the loftiest mountains in the world had 
failed to arrest his progress, a secondary rock could not 
be capable of vanquishing his courage and his genius'. 
The fort, said he to himself, might be taken by bold 
courage ; if it could not be taken, it still could be tinned. 
Besides, if the infantry and the cavalry could pass by 
it, with but a few four-pounders, they could then pro- 
ceed to Ivrea at the mouth of the gorge, and wait until 
their heavy guns could follow them. And if the heavy 
guns could not pass by the obstacle which had arisen ; 
and if, in order to get any, that of the enemy must be 
taken, the French infantry were brave and numerous 
enough to assail the Austrians and take their cannon. 
Moreover, he studied his maps again and again, ques- 



THE VALLEY OF AOSTA. 125 

tioned a number of Italian officers ; and learning from 
these that many other roads led from Aosta to the 
neighboring valleys, he wrote letter after letter to Ber- 
thier, forbidding him to stop the progress of the army, 
and pointing out to him, with wonderful precision, what 
reconnoissances should be made around the fort of Bard. 
He would not allow himself to see any serious danger, 
except from the arrival of a hostile corps, shutting up 
the debouch of Ivrea ; he instructed Berthier to send 
Lannes as far as Ivrea, by the path of Albaredo, 
and make him take a stronger position there, which 
should be safe from the Austrian artillery and cavalry. 
When Lannes guards the entrance of the valley, added 
the First Consul, whatever may happen, it is of little 
consequence, the only result may be a loss of time. We 
have enough provisions to subsist ourselves awhile, and 
one way or other we shall succeed in avoiding or over- 
coming the obstacles which now delay us. 

These instructions having been sent to Berthier, he 
addressed his last orders to General Moncey, who should 
debouch by the St. Gothard ; to General Chabran, who 
should come clown by the Little St. Bernard, directly 
in front of the fort of Bard ; and then, at last, resolved 
to cross the Alps in person. Before he set forth, he 
received news from the Var, informing him that on the 
14th of May— the 24th of Floreal— the Baron cle Melas 
was still at Nice. As it was now the 20th of May, it 
could not reasonably be supposed, that the Austrian 
general, in the space of six days, could have marched 
from Nice to Ivrea. It was then on the 20th of May, 
before daylight, that he set out to pass the defile. His 



126 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

aid-de-camp Duroc, and his secretary Bourrienne, ac- 
companied him. 

Behold him now ascending the rugged and difficult 
St. Bernard, the rocks and precipices around him, and 
above, the towering summits of perpetual snow ! He 
is mounted on a mule, conducted by a young, hardy 
mountaineer. The grey great coat, which he always 
wore during his campaigns of sleepless activity, is but- 
toned closely around him. His cheeks are fuller than 
when we saw him in Egypt ; but he has the same pale, 
olive complexion, the same firm-set mouth, the same 
steady, piercing eyes, and the same air of constant 
thought. Occasionally he turns to address a remark 
to Duroc or Bourrienne ; and he has many questions to 
ask of those officers he meets upon the road. But, 
strange to say, he converses the longest with that 
simple-hearted mountaineer who leads his mule. The 
young guide unrolls his little catalogue of troubles, to 
which the First Consul listens as he would to a pas- 
toral romance. The great man learns that the moun- 
taineer is much grieved, because, for want of a little 
money, he is unable to marry one of the maidens of 
the valley who has won his heart. Thus proceeding, 
the party at length arrived at the monastery of St. 
Bernard, where the benevolent monks displayed much 
pleasure at seeing the illustrious general. He alighted ; 
but before he partook of any refreshment, he wrote a 
brief note, which he handed to his guide, and told him 
to give it without delay to the administrator of the 
army, who had remained on the other side of -the St. 
Bernard. In the evening, when the young mountaineer 



THE VALLEY OF AOSTA. 127 

reached St. Pierre, he learned how great a person he 
had conducted, and also that the First Consul had 
given him a house and a field, as the means of marry- 
ing the girl of his heart. A delightful pastoral episode 
in the great warrior's stormy career. 

Bonaparte halted a short time with the monks, 
thanked them for the care shown to his troops, made 
them a noble gift, and then pursued his route. The 
descent of St. Bernard was made very rapidly, the 
First Consul descending on a sledge, which glided down 
the glacier with almost fearful swiftness. The party 
arrived the same evening at Etroubles. The following 
morning, having spent some time in examining the 
park of artillery and the provisions, he started for 
Aosta and Bard. 

The night of the 23d of May was clear, bright and 
cold, in the valley of Aosta. Just beyond the town 
of Bard — a long, narrow line of old, picturesque 
houses — were encamped the troops of Lannes's division, 
the line of the encampment being indicated by the 
watch-fires. In front of the large tent which had been 
erected as the quarters of the First Consul, stood 
Bonaparte, Berthier, Marescot, Lannes, Duroc, and 
Bourrienne. Marescot stood next to the illustrious 
commander-in-chief, who was examining the fort and 
its surroundings with a glass. 

" The report was perfectly correct ; that is a serious 
obstacle," said the First Consul. "But I have no 
doubt that we, who surmounted the difficulties of the 
St. Bernard, will conquer this rocky position, either by 
laking or turning it." 



128 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

" The only hope of capturing the fort, is by an esca- 
lade, on the outer ramparts, as you will perceive," 
remarked Marescot. 

" True, we can place a battery on the heights of 
Albaredo ; but that will produce but little effect," replied 
Bonaparte. 

" The fire of the fort sweeps the whole course of 
the river, and that long street of the town," observed 
Berthier. 

" We have made reconnoissances to the left, along 
the sinuous flanks of the Albaredo mountain, and found 
a path, which through vast dangers, more terrible than 
those of the St. Bernard, rejoins the great road below 
the fort at St. Donaz," said Marescot. 

" Can it be made practicable for infantry, cavalry, 
and a few light guns V quickly inquired Bonaparte. 

" I think it can. With about fifteen hundred work- 
men, it could soon be greatly altered," replied Ma- 
rescot. 

"Enough; you shall have the workmen, and the 
infantry, cavalry, and four-pounders shall be sent by 
that road," said the First Consul, decisively. 

" The artillery horses may be sent by the same road, 
and the only remaining difficulty will be to get the 
heavy guns along beyond this fort," remarked Duroc. 

A short time previous, the officers of the advanced 
division had been appalled by an unexpected obstruc- 
tion. But difficulties of all kinds seemed to vanish 
before the First Consul's burning faith in possibility. 
No thought of retreat was now entertained. 

" Come in, Marescot, and Bourrienne. Generals, you 



THE VALLEY OF AOSTA. 129 

shall hear from me either in the course of the night, 
or at dawn/' said Bonaparte, and he entered his tent, 
followed by Marescot and Bourrienne. Lannes and 
Duroc followed General Berthier to his tent, where 
they were soon seated and engaged in conversation, 

" Come, Lannes, as this is the first time we have 
met since we were at Dijon, let us know the particu- 
lars of your march over Mount St. Bernard," said 
Duroc. 

Lannes was much better fitted for doing a great 
thing than giving an account of it, and it required a 
short period of hard thinking to bring his ideas to the 
proper point. However, he commenced. 

" The march was no exploit of which an officer should 
boast. You -saw that I had under my command six 
regiments of excellent troops — there are none better in 
the army. To them belongs all the glory; for they 
were heavily laden with provisions and ammunition, 
and their task was one of great difficulty and hardship. 
We started from St. Pierre, about midnight, in order to 
get over the mountain before the period of danger from 
tumbling avalanches. We calculated it would require 
eight hours to reach the summit of the pass, and two 
hours to descend to St. Reiny. The troops went to 
then work in high spirits. Burdened as they were, 
they scaled the craggy paths, singing among the pre- 
cipices, and talking gaily, as if they were certain they 
were marching to new victories in Italy. The labor of 
the foot soldiers was not near so great as that of the 
cavalry. The horsemen marched on foot, leading their 
animals. In this, there was no clanger while ascending; 

17 



130 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

but when they came to the descent, the narrowness of 
the paths obliged each man to walk before his horse, so 
that each was exposed at each tumble of his animal to 
be dragged headlong down a precipice." 

" Did any of the men perish in that way V inquired 
Duroc. 

" Yes, several," replied Lannes, "and about a dozen 
horses. The horse is not a sure-footed animal. Near 
daybreak, we arrived at the hospital, where the First 
Consul had ordered the monks to provide an agreeable 
surprise for the troops, in the shape of refreshment. 
Every soldier received a ration of bread, cheese, and 
wine. We did not stop longer than was required to 
dispatch this breakfast, and pursuing our march, we 
reached St. Remy, without any other accidents than 
those I have mentioned. While the other divisions of 
the army were advancing, I received orders from the 
First Consul to push forward to Aosta, then to Ivrea,. 
and by taking that town, secure the entrance to the 
plains of Piedmont. On the 16th and 17th, I marched - 
upon Aosta. There I found some Croatians, whom I 
drove down the valley. I reached Chatillon on the 
18th, and routed a battalion of the enemy found there, 
capturing a goodly number of them. I then marched 
on down the valley, thinking that I would soon be upon 
the fertile plains of Italy, when this confounded fort 
suddenly appeared, and checked my march." 

" We have had a difficult task upon the other side 
of the mountain," said Duroc. " You know that it was 
arranged that each day one division of the army should 
pass over. The materiel had to be transported with 



THE VALLEY OF AOSTA. 131 

each division. The provisions and the ammunition 
were easily sent forward, for they could be divided into 
small packages. But the heavier articles which could 
not be divided and reduced, caused us a vast amount 
of trouble. In spite of the liberal expenditure of money, 
a sufficient number of mules could not be obtained. 
The transportation of the artillery was the most diffi- 
cult task of all. 

" The gun-carriages and caissons had been dismounted, 
and loaded on the backs of mules. The cannon them- 
selves yet remained. For the twelve pounders and 
howitzers, the difficulty was much greater than was at 
first supposed. The sledges with rollers, which had 
been constructed in the arsenals, were wholly useless. 
Another mode was suggested, and immediately adopted ; 
and it proved successful. This was to split pine trunks 
into two parts, hollow them out, secure a gun between 
them, and drag the pieces thus protected along the slip- 
pery ravines. Thanks to wise precautions, no shock 
could occur to injure them. Mules were attached to 
these strange loads, and succeeded in bringing a few 
pieces to the top of the defile. But the descent was 
more difficult : it- was only to be achieved by manual 
exertion, and by incurring imminent risk ; as the pieces 
had to be restrained and checked from rolling down the 
precipices. Unfortunately, at this juncture, the mules 
began to fail ; the muleteers, too, who were now requir- 
ed in great numbers, became exhausted, and in conse- 
quence fresh means must be resorted to. A price as 
high as a thousand francs was offered to the neighbor- 
ing peasants, for dragging a gun from St. Pierre to 



132 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

St. Remy. One hundred men were required for one 
cannon, one day to bring it up, and one day to let it 
down. Several hundred peasants presented themselves, 
and, under the direction of artillerists, transported a 
few pieces. 

"But not even the allurement of such gain could 
induce them to maintain this effort. All disappeared ere 
long, and although officers were sent out to seek them, 
lavishing money, so as to bring them back, it was in 
vain ; and it became necessary to call on the soldiers of 
the several divisions to drag their own artillery them- 
selves. It seemed that nothing could be asked, too ar- 
duous, of these devoted soldiers. The money which 
the exhausted peasants would no longer earn, was offer- 
ed as a stimulus ; but they refused it to a man, exclaim- 
ing that it was a point of honor for all troops to save 
their cannon ; and they took charge of the abandoned 
pieces. Parties, each of a hundred men, leaving the 
ranks successively, dragged them, each in their turn. 
Their bands struck up lively tunes in the more difficult 
defiles, and animated them to surmount these novel ob- 
stacles. Arrived at the mountain top, they found re- 
freshments prepared for them by the monks, and took 
some brief repose, as a preparation for greater and more 
perilous efforts to be exerted in descending. Thus the 
divisions of Chambarlhac and Monnier were seen toiling 
at their own artillery ; and as the advanced hour of the 
day did not permit them to descend, they preferred 
bivouacking in the snow, to abandoning their cannon. 
Fortunately the sky was clear ; nor had they to endure 
bad weather, in addition to the hard toils of the way." 



THE VALLEY OF ApSTA. 135 

" I am aware of much that you have been telling 
us," said Berthier, " having been unceasingly employed 
in receiving the stores, and superintending the artillery 
mounted again. The troops have fully communicated 
their toils and sufferings, but they have borne up under 
them with astonishing courage and fortitude. Their 
faithful performance of duty has enabled the First Con- 
^ sul to execute a grand campaign, which places him above 
all the generals of antiquity." 

" The campaign is not yet decided. We must fight 
at least one great battle, and the prospect is not favora- 
ble to our getting near the Austrians in time to take 
them by surprise," said Lannes. 

" I think not," replied Duroc. " The First Consul 
will either take or turn this fort within a few days at 
the farthest. I have no doubt of it — and the Austrians 
will be as much astonished as if we had dropped from 
the clouds. The campaign will cover us with glory." 

Here Bourrienne entered the tent, and communicated 
to the generals the plan which the First Consul had 
formed, which was as follows : 

He resolved to make his infantry, cavalry, and the 
four-pounders, proceed by the path of Albaredo, which 
would be possible, after repairs. All the troops should 
be sent to take possession of the outlets of the moun- 
tains before Ivrea ; and the First Consul, meanwhile, 
would attempt an attack on the fort, or find some means 
of avoiding its obstruction, by sending his artillery 
through one of the neighboring defiles. He ordered 
General Lecchi, commanding the Italians, to proceed on 
the left, advancing by the road to Grassoney in the 



136 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

alley of the Sesia, which extended to the Simplon and 
the Lago Maggiore. This movement was intended to 
clear the road of the Simplon, to form a junction with 
the detachment which was coming down it, and lastly 
to examine all the paths practicable to wheeled carriages. 

After some further conversation, the generals sepa- 
rated for the night. 

The next day, it was apparent that the conqueror of 
Italy was present, and among the French. All was 
activity and resolution. The First Consul directed his 
mind to the fort of Bard. 

The single street, which composed this town, was in 
possession of the French, but only passable, if passable 
at all, under such a storm of fire as would make it 
impossible to move artillery that way, even if the dis- 
tance had been only five or six hundred yards. The 
commandant was summoned; but replied, with the 
firmness of a man who appreciated fully the importance 
of the post intrusted to his courage. Force, therefore, 
alone, could make them masters of the passage. The 
artillery, which had been placed in battery on the 
heights of Albaredo, produced no great effect ; an esca- 
lade was attempted on the outer ramparts of the fort ; 
but some brave grenadiers and an excellent officer, 
Dufour, were killed or wounded to no purpose. At this 
time the troops were defiling by the path of Albaredo ; 
for fifteen hundred workmen had wrought the necessary 
repairs on it. Places that were too narrow they had 
enlarged by mounds of the earth ; declivities too sud- 
den they had eased, by cutting steps for the feet; 
trunks of trees they had thrown across other places, to 



THE VALLEY OF ANUSTA. 137 

form bridges over ravines, which were too broad to be 
leaped. 

The army defiled man by man in succession, the cava- 
liers leading their horses by the bridles. The Austrian 
officer commanding in the fort of Bard, seeing the 
columns thus march past, was in despair that he could 
not stop their progress ; he, therefore, sent a message 
to M. de Melas, informing him that he had seen the 
passage of a whole army of infantry and cavalry, with- 
out having any means to prevent it; but pledged his 
head that they should arrive without a single piece of 
cannon. During this time, the artillerymen made one 
of the boldest of attempts. This was, under the cloud 
of night, to carry a piece of cannon under the very fire 
of the fort. - Unfortunately, the enemy, aroused by the 
noise, threw down fire-pots, which made the whole road 
light as clay, enabling him by that means to sweep it 
with a hail-storm of deadly missiles. Out of thirteen 
gunners who had run the risk of taking this piece for- 
ward, seven were killed or wounded. There was in 
that enough to discourage hardy spirits ; yet it was not 
long ere another way, ingenious, but still very perilous, 
was devised. The street was strewn with straw and 
litter ; tow was fastened around all the cannon, to pre- 
vent the slightest resonance of those huge metallic masses 
on their carriages ; the horses were taken out, and the 
bold artillerists, dragging them with their own hands, 
were so daring as to carry them under the batteries of 
the fort, along the street of Bard. These means suc- 
ceeded to perfection. The enemy, who occasionally 
feed as a precaution, wounded a few of the gunners ; 

18 



138 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



but soon, in spite of this fire, all the heavy artillery 
was transported through the defile ; and this formida- 
ble obstruction, which had given the First Consul more 
anxiety than the St. Bernard itself, was now entirely 
overcome. 

The Alps were passed, and victory already hovered 
over the banner of Bonaparte. 





rai ®AfiH[p«i?BiBB at BaijjBBBa®®. 



HE victory of Marengo was 
the crowning glory of a 
campaign unsurpassed in 
the annals of war, as re- 
gards the display of daring 
genius and profound com- 
bination. It was a stroke 
which changed the face 
of affairs in Europe, and 
raised the conqueror to 
the imperial height of his ambition. 

The immense plain of Marengo extends between the 

(139) 




140 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Scrivia and the Bormida. In this place, the Po retreats 
from the Appenine, and leaves a vast space, across 
which the Bormida and the Tanaro roll their waters, 
now become less rapid, till meeting near Alessandria, 
they flow on together into the bed of the Po. The road, 
leading along the foot of the Appenines to Tortona, 
departs from it abreast of this place, turns to the right, 
passes the Scrivia, and opens into a vast plain. The 
stream it crosses at a first village, 'called San Giuliano, 
runs forward to a second, named Marengo, and at length 
crosses the Bormida, and terminates at the celebrated 
fortress of Alessandria. 

On the 13th of June, 1800, that army which had 
surmounted the crags and snows of the Alps, debouched 
into the plain. Here Bonaparte expected to find the 
Austrians ; but his cavalry scoured the plain without 
finding a single corps, and the First Consul then con- 
cluded that Melas had escaped. He then ordered the. 
wise and valiant Desaix, who had joined him a few 
' days previous, to march upon Rivolta and Novi with a 
single division, that of Boudet, in order to check Melas, 
if he had eone from Alessandria to Genoa. But the 
division of Monnier, which was Desaix's second, he 
retained at head-quarters. Victor was left at the town 
of Marengo, with two divisions ; Lannes, the indomita- 
ble Lannes, fresh from the glorious field of Montebello. 
was left with one division on the plain, and Murat, with 
his cavalry, was retained at the side of the general-in- 
chief, with the splendid Consular Guard. 

But the First Consul had been deceived. Melas had 
not escaped; he expected to fight at Marengo, and 



MARENGO. 141 

had adopted measures to advance upon the French 
army. 

The French, inarching from Placentia and the Scrivia, 
would first come upon San Giuliano, and afterward, at 
three quarters of a league farther, upon Marengo, which 
almost touches the Bormicla, and forms the principal 
outlet which the Austrian army had to conquer, in order 
to issue from Alessandria. Between San Giuliano and 
Marengo extends, in a right fine, the road which was 
to be disputed ; and on each side, wide spreads the plain 
covered with fields of wheat and vineyards. Below 
Marengo, to the right of the French, and left of the 
Austrians, lay Castel-Ceriolo, a large borough, through 
which General Ott intended to pass, in order to turn 
the corps of -General Victor, stationed in Marengo. It 
was, therefore, upon Marengo that the principal attack 
of the Austrians would be directed, as tfcis village 
commanded the entrance of the plain. 

At clay-break, the Austrian army passed the two 
bridges of the Bormida. But its movement was slow, 
because- it had but one bridge-head, from which to 
debouch. O'Reilly passed first, and encountered the 
division of Gardanne, which General Victor, after having 
occupied Marengo, had led forward. This division was 
formed only of the 101st and 44th demi-brigades. 
O'Reilly, supported by a numerous artillery, and with 
double the force of his opponent, compelled him to fall 
back, and shut himself up in Marengo. Fortunately, 
he did not throw himself into the place after him, but 
waited till the centre, under General Haddick, should 
come to his support. The slowness of their march 



142 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

across the defile formed by the bridges, cost the Aus- 
trians two or three hours. At length Generals Haddick 
and Kami deployed their forces in the rear of O'Reilly, 
and General Ott passed the same bridges on his way to 
Castel-Ceriolo. 

Thus commenced the great battle of Marengo. The 
advance, under Gardanne, was obliged to fall back upon 
Victor. Victor held his position during two hours 
against the enormous force opposed to him. He was 
obliged to vacate Marengo, but retook it; and this 
occurred twice or thrice. Napoleon now ordered Lan- 
nes to advance to the support of Victor ; but after a 
long and obstinate contest, the cavalry of Elsnitz sud- 
denly appeared upon the right of Lannes, and both 
lines were compelled to retreat. The Austrians had 
fought the battle admirably. The infantry had opened 
an attack on every point of the French line, while the 
cavalry debouched across the bridge which the French 
had failed to destroy, and assailed the right of their 
army with such fury and rapidity, that it was thrown 
into complete disorder. The attack was successful 
every where ; the centre of the French was penetrated, 
the left routed, and another desperate charge of the 
cavalry would have terminated the battle. The order 
for this, however, was not given ; but the retreating 
French were still in the utmost peril. Napoleon had 
been collecting reserves between Garafolo and Ma- 
rengo, and now sent orders for his army to retreat 
towards these reserves, and rally round his guard, 
which he stationed in the rear of the village of Ma- 
rengo, and placed himself at their head. The soldiers 



MARENGO. 143 

could all see the First Consul, with his staff, surrounded 
by the two hundred grenadiers of the guard, in the 
midst of the immense plain. The sight revived their 
hopes. The right wing, under Lannes, quickly rallied ; 
the centre, reinforced by the scattered troops of the 
left, recovered its strength; the left wing no longer 
existed ; its scattered remains fled in disorder, pursued 
by the Austrians. The battle continued to rage, and 
was obstinately disputed ; but the main body of the 
French army, which still remained in order of battle, 
was continually, though very slowly, retreating, The 
First Consul had now dispatched his aid-de-camp, 
Bruyere, to Desaix, with an urgent message to hasten 
to the field of battle. Desaix, on his part, had been 
arrested in his march upon Novi, by the repeated dis- 
charges of distant artillery : he had in consequence 
made a halt, and dispatched Savary, then his aid-de- 
camp, with a body of fifty horse, to gallop with all 
possible haste to JSfovi, and ascertain the state of affairs 
there, according to the orders of the First Consul, while 
he kept his division fresh and ready for action. Savary 
found all quiet at Novi ; and returning to Desaix, after 
the lapse of about two hours, with this intelligence, 
was next sent to the First Consul. He spurred his 
horse across the country, in the direction of the fire 
and smoke, and fortunately met Bruyere, who was 
taking the same short cut to find Desaix. Giving him 
the necessary directions, Savary hastened to the First 
Consul. He found him in the midst of his guard, who 
stood their ground, on the field of battle ; forming a 
solid body in the face of the enemy's fire, the dis- 



144 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

mounted grenadiers stationed in front, and the place of 
each man who fell being instantly supplied from the 
ranks behind. Maps were spread open before Napoleon : 
he was planning the movement which decided the 
action. Savary made his report, and told him of 
Desaix's position. "At what hour did you leave him?" 
said the First Consul, pulling out his watch. Having 
been informed, he continued, "Well, he cannot be far 
off; go, and tell him to form in that direction (pointing 
with his hand to a particular spot :) let him quit the 
main road, and make way for all those wounded men, 
who would only embarrass him, and perhaps draw his 
own soldiers after them." It was now three o'clock in 
the afternoon. 

The aged Melas, believing the victory his own, had 
retired from the field, and left General Zach in command. 
At this critical moment, the division of Desaix appeared 
upon the plain. Outstripping the troops, this glorious 
lieutenant galloped up to the First Consul. He said the 
battle was lost, but there was yet time to gain another. 
Bonaparte immediately set about availing himself of the 
resources brought up by his beloved general. 

Desaix's three demi-brigades were formed in front of 
San-Giuliano, a little way to the right of the main road. 
The 30th deployed in line, the 9th and 59th in close 
column, on the wings of the former. A slight undula- 
tion of ground concealed them from the enemy. On 
the right, rallying and somewhat recovered, were the 
shattered relics of Chambarlhac's and Garclanne's divi- 
sions under General Victor. To their right, in the 
plain, Lannes, whose retreat had been stopped ; next to 



MARENGO. 145 

him the Consular Guard, and next again to that, Carra 
Saint-Cyr, who had maintained himself as near as 
possible to Castel-Ceriolo. In this position the army 
formed a long oblique line, from San-Giuliano to Castel- 
Ceriolo. In an interval between Desaix and Lannes, 
but somewhat more in the rear, was stationed Keller- 
man, with his cavalry. A battery of twelve pieces, the 
sole remains of the whole artillery of the army, was 
spread out in front of Desaix's line. 

These dispositions made, the First Consul passed on 
horseback along the lines of his soldiers, speaking to 
several corps. "My friends," said he to them, "you 
have retreated far enough ; recollect that I am in the 
habit of sleeping on the field of battle." After having 
re-animated his troops, who were re-assured by the 
arrival of their reserves, and burning to avenge the 
events of the morning, he gave the signal. The charge 
was beaten along the whole length of the lines. 

The Austrians, who were rather in order of march 
than of battle, kept the high road. The column directed 
by M. de Zach came first; a little behind it came the 
centre, half deployed on the plain and facing Lannes. 
General Marmont. suddenly unmasked his twelve pieces 
of cannon. A heavy discharge of grape-shot fell upon 
the head of the column, which was completely taken by 
surprise, and suspecting nothing less than further resis- 
tance, for they thought the French decidedly on their 
retreat. They had not yet recovered from their surprise, 
when Desaix put the 9th light infantry in movement. 
" Go and inform the First Consul," said he, to his aid- 
de camp, Savary, " that I am charging, and that I must 

19 



146 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

be supported by the cavalry." Desaix, on horseback, 
charged in person at the head of his demi-brigade. He 
led it over the slight inequality of ground which 
concealed him from the view of the Austrians, and 
made them aware of his presence by a discharge of 
musketry at point blank distance. The Austrians 
poured in an answering volley; and Desaix fell on 
the instant, pierced by a bullet in the breast. " Conceal 
my death/' said he to General Boudet, who was his 
chief of division, for it might, he thought, produce a 
panic among his men. Useless precaution of the young 
hero. He was seen to fall, and his soldiers, like those 
of Turenne, clamorously demanded to be led forward to 
avenge the death of their leader. The 9th light infantry, 
which on that day gained for itself the title of " The 
Incomparable" a distinction which it bore to the conclu- 
sion of the war ; the 9 th light infantry, after pouring 
its fire upon the enemy, formed in column, and fell upon 
the deep mass of the Austrians. At the sight, the two 
first regiments that led the march, surprised and- 
confounded, fell back in disorder upon the second line, 
and disappeared amidst its ranks. Lattermann's column 
of grenadiers were now at the head, and received the 
shock as chosen troops might be expected to receive it. 
They were firm. The struggle extended to the two 
sides of the main road. The 9th light infantry was 
supported to the right by Victor's troops, which had 
rallied; to the left, by the 30th and 59th demi-brigades 
of Boudet's division, which followed the movement. 
Lattermann's grenadiers were defending themselves 
stoutly, though hard pressed, when suddenly a storm 



MARENGO. 147 

burst on their heads. General Kellermami, who, at the 
instance of Desaix, had received orders to charge, set 
off at full gallop, and passing between Lannes and 
Desaix, placed part of his squadron en potence to make 
head against the Austrian cavalry, whom he saw before 
him, and then, with the remainder, threw himself on the 
flank of the column of grenadiers, already assailed in 
front by Boudet's infantry. By this charge, which was 
executed with extraordinary vigor, the column was 
cut in two. Kellermann's dragoons sabred it to the right 
and left, till, pressed on every side, the unfortunate 
grenadiers threw down their arms. Two thousand of 
them surrendered themselves prisoners. At their head, 
General Zach himself was compelled to give up his 
sword, and in this manner the Austrians were deprived 
of any leader until the battle ended. But Kellermann 
did not stop here ; he dashed on the dragoons of Lich- 
tenstein and broke them ! These recoiled in disorder 
on the centre of the Austrians, as it was forming in the 
plain, in front of Lannes, and there caused some 
confusion. At this moment Lannes advanced, pressed 
vigorously on the Austrians' centre, which was shaken, 
while the grenadiers of the Consular Guard and of Carra 
Saint-Cyr again bore down upon Castel-Ceriolo, from 
which they were not far distant. Along the whole line 
from San-Giuliano to Castel-Ceriolo, the French had now 
resumed the offensive ; they marched forward, drunk 
with joy and enthusiasm, at seeing the victory again 
returning to their hands. Surprise and discouragement 
had passed to the side of the Austrians. 

From the Giuliano to Castel-Ceriolo, the oblique line 



148 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

of the French advancing at charging pace, pushed the 
enemy hack, and compelled them to strive to escape by 
way of the bridges over the Bormida. 

The slaughter of the Austrians was dreadful. Their 
army was thus thrown into the utmost confusion in a 
moment; and the victory, which had seemed quite 
secure to them at three o'clock, was completely won by 
the French at six. The pursuit continued far into the 
night, the mixed deaths and mangling upon the dark 
bridges being one confused and crowded horror ; while 
the whole of the Austrians who had remained on the 
left bank were taken prisoners, or driven with headlong 
devastation into the Bormida. The waters ran a deep 
red with the blood of horses and of men, and presented 
in some parts a clotted surface of their mangled remains. 
Several entire battalions surrendered at discretion, and 
General Zach and all his staff were made prisoners. 

The greater part of the French army encamped on 
the field of battle. 

It was now about seven o'clock in the evening. The 
storm of conflict was hushed ; but the ghastly burden 
of the field was revealed in all its horror by the glare 
of the watch-fires, and the light of the moon. The 
mangled dead were lying in heaps where the struggle 
had been most desperate ; and the Bormida was a river 
of blood. Near the village of San Giuliano, a single 
officer could be seen walking among the bodies of the 
slain, leading his horse. For some time it seemed as 
if his search would be vain. Many of the bodies had 
been completely stripped by the enemy, and then 
features were mangled so that it was almost impossible 



MARENGO. 149 

to recognise them. Suddenly, however, Savary halted, 
In the midst of a circle of bodies, was stretched the 
manly form of Desaix, which the aid-de-camp recognised 
by the long, flowing hair which fell upon the neck, and 
the noble expression of the countenance, which had not 
altered in the agonies of death. The young man knelt 
down and wept over that form, like a child ; for he had 
learned to look up to the heroic general as a father. 
He loved Desaix with that noble devotion which only 
the highest qualities can excite, and which is so admira- 
ble as to make us proud of our human nature. Savary 
gave free vent to his grief, and then, wrapping his cloak 
around the body, he lifted it upon his horse, and slowly 
returned with it to head-quarters. As he passed the 
watch-fires, the troops, who were in the highest spirits 
in consequence of the unexpected victory, recognised 
the body of Desaix, ceased their talk, and respectfully 
uncovered. At length, Savary brought his melancholy 
burden to the head-quarters of General Bonaparte, at 
Torre-di-Garofolo. Leaving the body in charge of some 
soldiers, he entered the old mansion, which had been 
selected for head-quarters, and was ushered into the 
presence of the. First Consul. Bonaparte was seated 
amidst his principal officers, talking over the thrilling 
incidents of the day, and complimenting those who had 
particularly distinguished themselves, and there was 
scarcely one who did not bear sanguine marks of the 
fight. * 

"Tour business, sir?" said Bonaparte, as Savary 
appeared. 

" Your excellency, I have found the body of Gene 



150 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

ral Desaix, and brought it here to await your 
orders." 

" Ah ! Desaix l" interrupted Bonaparte in a tone 
full of sad feeling. He then appeared to indulge in 
mournful reflection, and there was a silence of a few 
minutes. He then continued, " This victory would 
have been, indeed, glorious, could I this evening em- 
brace Desaix. I was going to make him a minister of 
war. I would have made him a prince, had I been 
able. As mild and modest in manners as he was firm 
and heroic in battle, he deserves a monument from 
France. You, and Rapp, are faithful aids. 

" General Desaix was our father," said Savory. 

" I will take you both for my aids." 

This Savary was afterwards Duke of Rovigo. He 
was faithful to Napoleon to the end, and General Rapp 
deserves the same praise. 

The First Consul now gave directions to Savary as 
to the immediate disposal of the body of Desaix. He 
designed that it should be embalmed as soon as pos- 
sible, and placed in a fitting sarcophagus. Having 
received, full and accurate directions, Savary retired. . 

"Most of you will recollect the critical position of 
affairs when Desaix arrived on the field," said the 
First Consul. " His coming was a happy thought. You 
all know the worth of his opinion. You drew around 
him and informed him of the events of the day. Yet 
most of you advised a retreat. I demurred, and asked 
the counsel of General Desaix. He cast his eye over 
the field, and then, taking out his watch and looking at 
the hour, replied, ' Yes, the battle is completely lost ; 



MAKENGO. 151 

but it is only three o'clock. There is yet time to gain 
another/ These words encouraged me, and I imme- 
diately ordered those movements which gave us the 
victory. What is the loss of the enemy, according to 
your estimate, M. de Bourrienne V 

" In my opinion, they have lost about one-third of 
their army, which, before the battle, consisted of about 
twenty-eight thousand men. Besides that, General 
Haddick is killed, and a large number of their best 
generals are disabled by severe wounds. General Zach 
is a prisoner," replied the secretary. 

" Aye ; then they have paid a portion of their debt," 
said Bonaparte. 

" But," said Victor, " our staff has suffered also ; 
Generals Mainomy, Rivaud, Mahler, and Champeaux 
are wounded, and it is believed that Champeaux has 
received his mortal stroke." 

" We have lost about one-fourth of the army, esti- 
mating it at twenty-eight thousand men," observed 
Bourrienne. 

,"But we have gained a great victory, and the 
Austrians are completely prostrated," said Bonaparte, 
quickly. "Let us now talk of our triumph. Little 
Kellermann made a fine charge — he did it just at the 
right time — we owe him much ; see what trifles decide 
these affairs !" 

Just then, General Kellermann, a young-looking man, 
of short stature and rather thin, but possessing a 
manly countenance, entered the room. Strange to say, 
the First Consul immediately changed his tone. As 
the gallant young general, whose charge had decided 



152 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the day, approached the table at which Bonaparte was 
writing, he said, coldly, " You made a pretty good 
charge," and as a set off to this coldness, he turned to 
Bessieres, who commanded the horse grenadiers of the 
guard, and said to him audibly, " Bessieres, the guard 
has covered itself with glory." Kellermann bit his lips, 
and his eyes flashed; but in spite of reports to the 
contrary, he said nothing, and soon after retired from 
the room. The reason of the treatment extended to 
him by the First Consul has never been developed. It 
certainly does no credit to the general-in-chief. Kel- 
lermann had charged with about five hundred heavy 
cavalry. It was this handful of brave men who had 
cut in two the Austrian column. The guard made no 
charge till night-fall. Yet Kellermann was never raised 
to the rank of marshal. 

Turning to Lannes, who seemed suffering from 
fatigue, the First Consul said, 

" You ought to be fatigued, General Lannes. Never 
were witnessed efforts of bravery beyond those you 
have shown this day. I saw you, with your four demi- 
brigades. The enemy poured a storm of grape from 
eighty pieces of artillery upon your troops ; yet you 
protracted your retreating fight three-quarters of a 
league for two whole hours. Every battle adds to the 
glory of the hero of Montebello." 

Lannes was pleased at receiving praise from Bona- 
parte, who was the god of his idolatry. Yet it was 
nothing more than his due. A short time preAdous, he 
had defeated the Austrians at Montebello, in a long, 
bloody, hand-to-hand struggle, against greatly superior 



MARENGO. 153 

numbers, and yet he had almost surpassed the achieve- 
ments of that desperate fight, when, to use his own 
terrific expression, "the bones were cracking in his 
division like hail upon a sky-light," by his unparalleled 
retreat at Marengo. 

" I knew that so long as I maintained the right," 
said Lannes, " the army preserved a sure line of retreat 
by Sale towards the banks of the Po. I compelled 
the Austrians to fight, and lose a man for every inch 
of ground. I blew up the caissons I could not bring 
off." 

It was late when the generals retired to their re- 
spective quarters, to sleep upon the laurels of Marengo. 
Even then the cavalry which had pursued the enemy 
had not all returned. The vanquished were allowed no 
repose. The First Consul slept but little that night. 
He knew that he should hear from the enemy, the next 
morning, and sat up, with his secretary Bourrienne, to 
fix upon the precise terms he should grant. He was 
not mistaken. The watch-fires of the victorious French 
had not been long extinguished, before Prince Lichten- 
stein, bearing a flag of truce, reached head-quarters, 
negotiations for -a capitulation were commenced, and 
the convention of Alessandria was signed on the 15th 
of June. 

It was agreed, in the first place, that there should be 
a suspension of arms in Italy, until such time as an 
answer should be received from Vienna. Should the 
convention be accepted, the Austrians were free to 
retire, with the honors of war, beyond the line of the 
Mincio. They bound themselves, in withdrawing, to 

20 



154 N CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

restore to the French all the strongholds which they 
occupied. The castles of Tortona, Alessandria. Milan, 
Arona, and Placentia, were to be surrendered between 
the 16th and 20th of June — 27th Prairial, and 1st of 
Messidor — the castles of Ceva aud Savona, the strong- 
holds of Coni and Genoa, between the 16th and the 
24th, and the fort of Urbia, on the 26th of June. The 
Austrian army was to be divided into three columns, 
which were to withdraw one after the other, and propor- 
tionally to the delivery of the strongholds. The 
immense military stores accumulated by M. de Melas, 
in Italy, were to be divided into two parts ; the artillery 
of the Italian foundries was granted to the French army ; 
the artillery of the Austrian foundries to the imperial 
army. The Imperialists, after having evacuated Lom- 
bardy as far as the Mincio, were to fall back behind the 
following line : — the Mincio, La Fossa, Maestra, the left 
bank of the Po, from Borgo-Forte to the mouth of that 
river, on the Adriatic. Peschiera and Mantua were to 
remain in possession of the Austrian army. It was 
stated, without explanation, that the detachment of this 
army, then actually in Tuscany, should continue to 
occupy that province. There could be no allusion made, 
in this capitulation, to the States of the Pope, or those 
of the King of Naples, because these potentates were 
strangers to the affairs of upper Italy. Should this 
convention not receive the emperor's ratification, ten 
days' notice was to be given of the resumption of hos- 
tilities. In the meantime, no detachment on the one 
side or the other, should be sent into Germany. 

It is said that the First Consul was strongly affected 



MARENGO. 



155 



at the sight of the field of Marengo, on which so many 
brave men had fallen. Under the influence of these 
feelings he wrote a remakable letter to the Emperor of 
Austria. 

" It is on the field of battle," said he to him, " amid 
the sufferings of a multitude of wounded, and sur- 
rounded by fifteen thousand corpses, that I beseech 
your majesty to listen to the voice of humanity, and 
not to suffer two brave nations to cut each other's 
throats for interests not their own. It is my part to 
press this on your majesty, being upon the very theatre 
of war. Your majesty's heart cannot feel it so keenly 
as does mine." 

He then argued with peculiar eloquence for the 
cause of peace, and fortunately the conqueror of Ma- 
rengo could contend with much grace for the restora- 
tion of tranquillity. He conquered the peace, and 
returned to Paris, to receive the homage of an admiring 
populace, who were now willing to concede to him the 
imperial crown. 





TFEIS 8MBIP-PIIIBB E^ Q3ILEL 




[pIYE years of pea.ce, fol- 



lowing the . battle 
of Marengo, had 
enabled Napoleon 
Bonaparte to do 
much for France, 
and more for his 
own 7 elevation. 
Under his wise 
and vigorous ad- 



ministration, the country made wonderful progress. 
(156) 



ULM. 157 

But the price she paid was first the Consulship for 
Life, and finally the imperial crown. Napoleon now 
appears as Emperor of France. His old brothers-in-arnis, 
are Marshals. His beloved Josephine is an Empress. 
Besides, he has cherished designs of placing his brothers 
upon the thrones of Europe. Yet the man who has 
achieved all this greatness, is only thirty-eight years 
of age. 

But now, (1805) the peace of Europe is again dis- 
turbed. The treaty of Amiens is alleged by both par- 
ties to have been violated, and once more vast armies 
traverse the fertile fields seeking for conflict. A coa- 
lition against Napoleon has been formed by Great 
Britain, Austria, and Russia. Napoleon has formed 
the plan of a campaign on a gigantic scale, and has 
executed a part of ^he proposed scheme with a rapidity 
and precision that has astonished the enemy. By a 
brilliant series of manoeuvres, he has completely sur- 
rounded the Austrian army, commanded by General 
Mack, in the city of Ulni, (October 13.) In several 
great actions, the French had already captured twenty 
thousand Austrian troops, and Napoleon now has the 
satisfaction of knowing that thirty thousand more are 
within his reach. 

On the 13th, Napoleon (who expected that Mack 
would rouse himself with one last effort to avoid a sur- 
render) made an exciting address to the troops, on the 
bridge of the Lech, amid the most intense cold, the 
ground being covered with snow, and the troops sunk 
to their knees in mud. He warned them to expect a 
great battle, and explained to them the desperate con- 



158 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

dition of the enemy. He was answered with accla- 
mations, and repeated shouts of "Vive 1'Empereur." 
In listening to his exciting words, the soldiers forgot 
their fatigues and privations, and were impatient to 
rush into the fight. 

Bernadotte entered Munich on the 14th of October, 
taking eight hundred prisoners. On the same day, 
Marshal Ney forced the strong position of Elchingen, 
taking three thousand prisoners and many pieces of 
cannon; and the Emperor's head-quarters were fixed 
there, in the evening. The French soldiers were in a 
state of great excitement from these rapid successes, 
and were with difficulty restrained. 

From the height of the Abbey of Elchingen, Napo- 
leon now beheld the city of Ulm at his feet, com- 
manded on every side by his cannon ; his victorious 
troops ready for the assault, and the great Austrian 
army cooped up within the walls. He expected a 
desperate sally, and prepared the soldiers for a general 
engagement ; but four days passed without any move- 
ment whatever. Meanwhile, his own troops clamored 
for the assault, but he chose to wait in vigilant patience 
for the result, A scene of horrible carnage and the 
probable destruction of a fine city would have been 
the consequences of his acting differently ; being what he 
would have called " unnecessary evils,'' and therefore 
criminal in his eyes. The weather continued dreadful; 
the rain fell incessantly, and the soldiers were often up 
to their knees in mud. The Emperor only kept his 
feet out of the water in his bivouac, by means of a 
plank. He was in this situation when Prince Maurice 




THE C A M P-r IKE AT UL M. 



Page 159. 



ULM. 159 

Lichtenstein Was brought before him, with a flag of 
truce from General Mack. The looks of the prince 
evidently showed that he did not expect to have found 
the Emperor there in person ; otherwise it is probable 
he would not have brought such a proposition as that 
which he delivered. He came commissioned to treat 
for the evacuation of Uhn, with permission for the Aus- 
trian army to return to Vienna. The Emperor could 
not help smiling as he listened to him. " I have not 
forgotten Marengo/' he replied; "I suffered M, de 
Melas to go, and in two months Moreau had to fight 
his troops, in spite of the most solemn promises to con- 
clude peace. You will be forced to surrender, for want 
of provisions, in eight days. The Russians have scarcely 
reached Bohemia. There is the capitulation of your 
general at Memingen, his whole garrison becoming 
prisoners of war : carry it to General Mack ; I will ac- 
cept no other conditions." The same evening General 
Mack sent his surrender to the Emperor, and on the 
following morning the capitulation was signed. 

On the 20th of October, the French army was drawn 
up on the heights, overlooking the fine city of Ulm, to 
receive the surrender, according to the conditions. 
The rain had ceased, and the sky was bright and clear. 
The dress and accoutrements of the French troops, and 
especially those of the cavalry, shone resplendent in 
the sun. The Emperor was posted on a slight eminence 
in front of the centre of his army. He had caused a 
large fire to be kindled there, for the air was intensely 
cold. A short distance in the rear, that faithful Mameluke 
who always accompanied Napoleon after the Egyptian 



160 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

campaign, held the bridle of a restless horse. His 
gaudy, Asiatic costume, was in singular contrast with 
that of the French soldiers. The French marshals and 
generals were grouped in the vicinity of the fire. Among 
them were the commanding forms of Ney, Lannes, 
Murat, Davoust, Duroc, Bernadotte, Bessiere, Soult and 
Dupont — a brotherhood of daring valor. The calm, 
immovable countenance of Marshal Soult was in strange 
contrast with the more vivacious faces near him, and 
bespoke the cool, steady mind of that skilful general. 
The Emperor stood, as usual, with his hands behind 
him, and his head slightly bent. His figure had grown 
stout, and had a decided tendency to corpulency. The 
countenance was stern, but the eyes were unquiet, and 
his mind was evidently very busy, as usual. In every 
lineament could be traced that keen, daring genius, 
which had raised the lieutenant of artillery to an imperial 
throne. 

It was a glorious day for the French. Their drums 
beat, and their bands poured forth the swelling strains 
of triumph. The gates of Ulm were opened ; and then 
the long hue of white uniforms marked the egress of the 
Austrians. They advanced in silence, becoming the 
dejection of the vanquished, filed off slowly, and went, 
corps by corps, to lay down their arms upon the plain 
between them and the heights on which the French 
army appeared. The ceremony lasted the whole day. 
In the morning, General Mack and his principal officers, 
to the number of sixteen, advanced to meet the conqueror 
at the fire near which he stood. He received the con- 
quered generals with respect, and addressed many 



ULM. 161 

remarks to them; but the officers were too deeply 
humiliated to reply. To General Mack, he said — 

"I must complain of the iniquitous proceeding of 
your government, in coming without any declaration 
of war to seize one hy the throat. The Aulic Council 
would have done better, if, instead of mixing up 
Asiatic hordes in European quarrels, it had joined with 
me to repel Russian encroachment." Mack bowed, but 
made no reply. 

During the interview, a general officer, more remark- 
able*for his petulance than his wit, repeated aloud an 
expression as coming from one of the soldiers, throwing 
ridicule upon the vanquished. Napoleon, whose ear 
was quick to catch the words, immediately sent Savary 
to tell the officer to retire, saying then to those near 
him, "He must have little respect for himself, who 
insults men in misfortune !" 

All the officers were allowed to return home, on giving 
their word of honor not to serve against France until a 
general exchange of prisoners should take place. The 
men were to be marched into France, to be distributed 
throughout the agricultural districts of the country, 
where their work in the field might supply the place of 
that of the conscripts required for the army. The 
unfortunate Mack was immediately consigned to a dun- 
geon on the charge of treachery, upon his return to 
Vienna. 

The capitulation of Ulm gave Napoleon the remainder 
of the Austrian army, which had numbered fifty thou- 
sand men. The campaign was, perhaps, unexampled 
in the annals of war. Of the French army, scarcely 

21 



162 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



fifteen hundred men were killed and wounded ; while 
the enemy had lost an immense number of men in battle, 
fifty thousand excellent troops by capitulation, two hun- 
dred cannon, ninety flags, and a large number of horses. 
Such were the glorious results of Napoleon's skilful 
manoeuvres and rapid movements. 

The Emperor slept that night at Elchingen. Joy 
pervaded the French camp. The troops were now more 
strongly convinced than ever, that their Emperor was 
invincible. 





irias $MaiP»i?iitBB atf MieiriiBiym 




< c TPHE victory of Austerlitz is 
J con 



considered by many com- 
petent judges as the most 
splendid triumph ever 
iifc gained by Napoleon ; and 
HI the " sun of Austerlitz," 
is a watchword with the 
gB French soldiery to the 
present day. The scene 
of this great battle is in the vicinity of the small seig- 

(163) 



164 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

noral town of Austerlitz, situated on the Littawa, in 
Moravia. 

Napoleon, with that military tact which he had 
received from nature, and which he had so greatly 
improved by experience, had adopted, among other 
positions which he might have taken about Brunn, one 
which could not fail to insure to him the most impor- 
tant results, under the supposition that he should be 
attacked — a supposition which had become a certainty. 

The mountains of Moravia, which connect the moun- 
tains of Bohemia with those of Hungary, subside 
successively towards the Danube, so completely that 
near that river Moravia presents but one wide plain. 
In the environs of Brunn, the capital of the province, 
they are not of greater altitude than high hills, .and are 
covered with dark firs. Their waters, retained for 
want of drains, form numerous ponds, and throw them- 
selves by various streams into the Morawa, or March, 
and by the Morawa and the Danube. 

All these characters are found together in the position 
between Brunn and Austerlitz, which Napoleon has 
rendered forever celebrated. The high road of Moravia, 
running from Vienna to Brunn, rises in a direct line to 
the northward, then, in passing from Brunn to Olmutz, 
descends abruptly to the right, that is to the east, thus 
forming a right angle with its first direction. In the 
angle is situated the position in question. It commences 
on the left towards the Olmutz road, with heights studded 
with firs ; it then runs to the right in an oblique direc- 
tion towards the Vienna road, and after subsiding 
gradually, terminates in ponds full of deep water in 



• AUSTERLITZ. 165 

winter. Along this position, and in front of it, runs a 
rivulet, which has no name known in geography, but 
which, in part of its course, is called Goldbach by the 
people of the country. It runs through the little 
villages of Girzikowitz, Puntowitz, Kobelnitz, Sokolnitz, 
and Telnitz, and, sometimes forming marshes, sometimes 
confined in channels, terminates in the ponds above 
mentioned, which are called the ponds of Satschau and 
Menitz. 

Concentrated with all his forces on this ground, de- 
fended on the one hand upon the wooded hills of Moravia, 
and particularly upon a rounded knoll to which the 
soldiers of Egypt gave the name of the Centon, defended 
on the other, upon the ponds of Satschau and Menitz — 
thus covering by his left the Olmutz road, by his right 
the Vienna road — Napoleon was in a condition to accept 
with advantage a decisive battle. He meant not, how- 
ever, to confine his operations to self-defence, for he was 
accustomed to reckon upon greater results ; he had di- 
vined, as though he had read them, the plans framed at 
great length by General Weirother. The Austro-Rus- 
sians, having no chance of wresting from him the point 
oVappui which he found for his left in the high wooded 
hills, would be tempted to turn his right, which was 
not close to the ponds, and to take the Vienna road 
from him. There was sufficient inducement for this 
step ; for Napoleon, if he lost that road, would have 
no other resource but to retire into Bohemia. The 
rest of his forces, hazarded towards Vienna, would be 
obliged to ascend separately the valley of the Danube. 
The French arnry, thus divided, would find itself 



166 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

doomed to a retreat, eccentric, perilous, nay, even dis- 
astrous, if it should fall in with the Prussians by the 
way. 

Napoleon was perfectly aware that such must be the 
plan of the enemy. Accordingly, after concentrating 
his army towards his left and the heights, he left 
towards his right, that is towards Sokolnitz, Telnitz, 
and the ponds, a space almost unguarded. He thus 
invited the Russians to persevere in their plans. But 
it was not precisely there that he prepared the mortal 
stroke for them. The ground facing him presented a 
feature from which he hoped to derive a decisive 
result. 

Beyond the stream that ran in front of the position, 
the ground spread at first, opposite to the left, into a 
slightly undulated plain, through which passed the 
Olmutz road ; then, opposite to the centre, it rose suc- 
cessively, and at last formed facing the right a plateau, 
called the plateau of Pratzen, after the name of a vil- 
lage situated half-way up, in the hollow of a ravine. 
This plateau terminated on the right in rapid declivities 
towards the ponds, and at the back in a gentle slope 
towards Austerlitz, the chateau of which appeared at 
some distance. 

There were to be seen considerable forces ; there a 
multitude of fires blazed at night, and a great move- 
ment of men and horses was observable by day. Od 
these appearances, Napoleon had no longer any doubf 
of the designs of the Austro-Russians. They intended 
evidently to descend from the position which they 
occupied, and, crossing the Goldbach rivulet, between 



AUSTERLITZ. 167 

the ponds and the French right, to cut them off from the 
Vienna road. But, for this reason, it was resolved to take 
the offensive in turn, to cross the rivulet at the villages 
of Girzikowitz and Puntowitz, to ascend to the plateau 
of Pratzen while the Russians were leaving it, and to 
take possession of it. In case of success, the enemy's 
army would be cut in two ; one part would be 
thrown to the left into the plain crossed by the 01- 
mutz road ; the other to the right into the ponds. 
Thenceforward the battle could not fail to be disastrous 
for the Austro-Russians. But, for this effect, it was 
requisite that they should not blunder by halves. The 
prudent, nay even timid attitude of Napoleon, exciting 
their silly confidence, would induce them to commit the 
entire blunder. 

Agreeably to these ideas, Napoleon made his disposi- 
tions. Expecting for two days past to be attacked, he 
had ordered Bernadotte to quit Iglau on the frontier of 
Bdhemia, to leave there the Bavarian division which he 
had brought with him, and to hasten by forced marches 
to Brunn. He had ordered Marshal Davoust to march 
Friant's and if possible Gudin's division towards the 
abbey of Gross Raigern, situated on the road from 
Vienna to Brunn, opposite to the ponds. In conse- 
quence of these orders, Bernadotte marched, and had 
arrived on the 1st of December. General Friant, being 
alone apprised in time, because General Guclin was at a 
greater distance towards Presburg, had set out imme- 
diately, and travelled in forty-eight hours the thirty-six 
leagues which separate Vienna from Gross Raigern. 
The soldiers sometimes dropped on the road, exhausted 



168 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. . 

with fatigue ; but at the least sound, imagining that 
they heard the cannon, they rose with ardor to hasten 
to the assistance of their comrades, engaged, they said, 
in a bloody battle. On the night of the 1st of Decem- 
ber, which was extremely cold, they bivouacked at 
Gross Raigern, a league and a half from the field of 
battle. Never did troops on foot perform so astonishing 
a march ; for it is a march of eighteen leagues a day for 
two successive days. 

On the 1st of December, Napoleon, reinforced by 
Bernadotte's corps and Friant's division, could number 
sixty-five or seventy thousand men, present under arms, 
against ninety thousand men, Russians and Austrians, 
likewise present under arms. 

At his left he placed Lannes, in whose corps Caffa- 
relli's division supplied the place of Gazan's. Lannes, 
with the two divisions of Suchet and Caffarelli, was to 
occupy the Olmutz road, and to fight in the undulated 
plain outspread on either side of that road. Napoleon 
gave him, moreover, Murat's cavalry, comprising the 
cuirassiers of Generals d'Hautpoul and JSTansouty, the 
dragoons of General Walther and Beaumont, and. the 
chasseurs of Generals Milhaud and Kellermann. The 
level surface of the ground led him to expect a prodi- 
gious engagement of cavalry on this spot. On the 
knoll of the Centon, which commands this part of the 
ground, and is topped by a chapel called the chapel of 
Bosenitz, he placed the 17th light artillery, com- 
manded by General Claparede, with eighteen pieces of 
cannon, and made him take an oath to defend this posi- 
tion to the death. 



USTERLITZ. 169 

At the centre, behind the Goldbach rivulet, he ranged 
Vandamme's and St. Hilaire's divisions, which belong 
to the corps of Marshal Soult. He destined them to 
cross that stream at the villages of Girzikowitz and 
Puntowitz, and to gain possession of the plateau of 
Pratze'n, when the proper moment should arrive. A 
little further behind the marsh of Kobelnitz and the 
chateau of Kobelnitz, he placed Marshal Soult' s third 
division, that of General Legrand*. He reinforced it 
with two battalions of tirailleurs, known by the names 
of chasseurs of the Po and Corsican chasseurs, and by 
a detachment of light cavalry, under General Margaron. 
This division was to have only the third of the line and 
the Corsican chasseurs at Telnitz, the nearest point to 
the ponds, and to which Napoleon was desirous of 
drawing the Russians. Far in rear, at the distance of 
a league and a half, was posted Friant's division at 
Gross Raigern. 

Having ten divisions of infantry, Napoleon, there- 
fore, presented but six of them in line. Behind Mar- 
shals Lannes and Soult, he kept in reserve Oudinot's 
grenadiers, separated on this occasion from Lannes's 
corps, the corps .of Bernaclotte, composed of Drouet's 
and Rivaud's divisions, and, lastly, the imperial guard. 
He thus kept at hand a mass of twenty-five thousand 
men, to move to any point where they might be needed, 
and particularly to the heights of Pratzen, in order to 
take those heights at any cost, if the Russians should 
not have cleared them sufficiently. 

Such were the skilful dispositions of the Emperor, 
and having completed what may be called the foundation 

22 ' 



170 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

of victory, he issued a confident proclamation to his 
soldiers, as follows : 

"Soldiers — The Russian army appears before you 
to avenge the Austrian army of Ulm. They are the 
same battalions that you beat at Hollabrunn, and that 
you have since been constantly pursuing to this spot. 

" The positions which we occupy are formidable ; 
and while they are marching to turn my right, they 
will present their flank to me. 

" Soldiers, I shall myself direct your battalions. I 
shall keep out of the fire, if, with your usual bravery, 
you throw disorder and confusion into the enemy's 
ranks. But, if the victory should be for a moment 
uncertain, you will see your Emperor the foremost to 
expose himself to danger. For victory must not hang 
doubtful on this clay, most particularly, when the honor 
of the French infantry, which so deeply concerns the 
honor of the whole nation, is at stake. 

" Let not the ranks be thinned upon pretence of carry- 
ing away the wounded, and let every one be thoroughly 
impressed with this thought, that it behoves us to con- 
quer these hirelings of England, who are animated with 
such bitter hatred against our nation. 

" This victory will put an end to the campaign, and 
we shall then be able to return to our winter-quarters, 
where we shall be joined by the new armies which are 
forming in France, and then the peace which I shall 
make will be worthy of my people, of you, and of 
myself. 

Napoleon." 



AUSTERLITZ. ' 171 

Napoleon had passed the whole day on horseback, 
and had himself placed every division in position, 
inspecting every position. All his marshals dined with 
him, and received his careful and precise orders for the 
operations of the next day. He then once more glanced 
at the position of the Russian and Austrian armies, 
and a smile illumined his features as he said to his 
marshals, 

" Before to-morrow night that army will he in my 
power. Since the Czar refuses to negotiate for a peace, 
we must drub him into it." 

He then entered a rude hut, which his soldiers had 
constructed for him, and stretched himself upon some 
straw to repose. A hard couch for an emperor ! Yet 
there Napoleon fell into so deep a sleep that his aid-de- 
camp, Savary, was obliged to shake him, in order to 
wake him up, to listen to a report which he had ordered 
to be brought to him. Rousing himself, he left the hut, 
accompanied by his aid, and proceeded to visit the 
bivouacs of the army. The night was cold and dark ; 
and the Emperor had reason to believe that he could 
go among the soldiers without being noticed. But he 
had only proceeded a few steps before he was discovered, 
and in a few moments, the whole line was illuminated 
with torches of straw, while the air was filled with 
acclamations of " Vive l'Empereur !" It was a glorious 
sight, and the glare of the torches must have astonished 
the enemy. That tremendous shout must have told 
Kutusoff, the Prussian general, that he would be com- 
pelled to fight an enemy, full of spirit and confidence. 

As Napoleon passed along, one of the old grenadiers, 



172 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

a veteran of Italy, stepped forward, and accosted him 
with an air of republican familiarity and kindly 
patronage. 

" Sire," said this old soldier, " you will have no need 
to expose yourself to danger ; I promise you, in the 
name of the grenadiers of the army, that you will only 
have to fight with your eyes, and that we will bring 
you all the flags and cannon of the Russian army, to 
celebrate the anniversary of your coronation." 

The Emperor was delighted at the spirit displayed 
by the troops, and, in accordance with their general 
request, he promised to keep beyond the reach of the 
enemy's guns. 

Sir Walter Scott finely remarks upon this : " Napo- 
leon," says he, "promises that he will keep his person 
out of the reach of the fire : thus showing the full 
confidence that the assurance of his personal safety 
would be considered as great an encouragement to the 
troops as the usual protestations of sovereigns and 
leaders, that they will be in the front, and share the 
dangers of the day. This is, perhaps, the strongest 
proof possible of the complete and confidential under- 
standing which subsisted between Napoleon and his 
soldiers. Yet there have not been wanting those who 
have thrown the imputation of cowardice on the victor 
of a hundred battles, and whose reputation was so well 
established amongst those troops, who must have been 
the best judges, that his attention to the safety of 
his person was requested by them, and granted by him, 
as a favor to his army." 

The Emperor was on the field by one o'clock in the 



AUSTERLITZ. 116 

morning, to get an army under arms in silence. A thick 
fog, through which the light of the torches could not 
penetrate to the distance of ten paces, enveloped all 
the bivouacs ; but he knew the ground as well as the 
environs of Paris. His army, amounting in all to ab out- 
seventy thousand men, was arranged as follows. The 
two divisions of Marshal Soult, placed on a vast pla- 
teau, formed the right; the division of united grena- 
diers, drawn up in line behind, constituting the reserve 
of the right. The two divisions of Marshal Berna- 
dotte, in line with the united grenadiers, formed the 
centre of the army. The left wing was composed of 
the two divisions of Marshal Lannes ; the infantry of 
the guard forming the reserve of the left. In advance 
of the centre, and between the right and left wings, was 
posted the whole of the cavalry, under the command 
of Murat. The divisions of hussars and chasseurs were 
entrusted to Kellermann ; the dragoons, to Valther and 
Beaumont. The cuirassiers and eighty pieces of light 
artillery formed the reserve of the cavalry. The right 
of the army rested on some long and narrow defiles 
formed by ponds ; the left, on the strongly fortified 
position of the Centon. The two divisions of Marshal 
Davoust were posted on the extreme right, beyond the 
ponds, to face the left wing of the Russians, which had 
been extended, as we have said, to a dangerous dis- 
tance from their centre, and intended, as the Emperor 
perceived, to commence the battle with an attempt to 
turn his right. The Emperor himself, with Berthier, 
Junot, and the whole of his staff, occupied a command- 
ing position, as the reserve of the army, with ten bat- 



174 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

talions of the imperial guard, and ten battalions of 
grenadiers, commanded by Oudinot and Duroc. This 
reserve was ranged in two lines, in columns, by bat- 
talions, having in their intervals forty pieces of cannon 
served by the artillery of the guard. With this reserve, 
equal to turning the fate of almost any battle, he held 
himself ready to act wherever occasion should require. 
As the day dawned, the mist which had overhung all 
the dreadful show, began slowly to ascend, like a vast 
curtain, from the broad plain below. The sun rose in 
unclouded and majestic brilliancy; and dissipating all 
remains of the vapors, disclosed to view the great Rus- 
sian army, commanded by Field-Marshal Kutusoff, to 
the number of eighty thousand men, ranged in six 
divisions, on the opposite heights of Pratzen. The 
magnificence of the sunrise of this eventful morning, 
enhanced at the time by the previous dense mist, and 
by the national memories ever since, has caused the 
"sun of Austerlitz" to become proverbial with the 
people of France. The two emperors of Russia and 
Austria were witnesses of the fierce contest; being 
stationed on horseback on the heights of Austerlitz. As 
the first rays of the sun were flung from the horizon, 
the Emperor Napoleon appeared in front of his army, 
surrounded by his marshals, and formed every division, 
both of infantry and cavalry, into columns. A brisk 
fire had just commenced on the extreme right, where 
Davoust was already at his post; and the Russians 
began to put themselves in motion to descend from the 
heights upon the plain. The marshals who surrounded 
the Emperor importuned him to begin. "How long 



AUSTERLITZ. 175 

will it take you," said he to Soult, " to crown those 
opposite heights which the Russians are now abandon- 
ing ?" " One hour/' answered the marshal. " In that 
case, we will wait yet a quarter of an hour/' replied 
the Emperor. The cannonade increased, denoting that 
the attack had become serious. The extreme of the 
Russian left had commenced its movement to turn the 
right flank of the French army, but had encountered 
the formidable resistance of Davoust's two divisions, 
with whom they were just engaged. Napoleon now 
dismissed all the marshals to their posts, and ordered 
them to begin. 

The whole of the right and left wings at once moved 
forward, in columns, to the foot of the Russian posi- 
tion. They marched as if to exercise, halting at times 
to rectify their distances and directions ; while the 
words of command of the individual officers were dis- 
tinctly heard. The two divisions of Marshal Soult 
came first within reach of the enemy's fire. The 
division commanded by General Vandamme overthrew 
the opposing column, and was master of its position 
and artillery in an instant ; the other, commanded by 
General St Hilaire, had to sustain a tremendous fire, 
which lasted for two hours, and brought every one of 
its battalions into action. The Emperor now dispatched 
the united grenadiers, and one of Marshal Bernadotte's 
division, to support those of Soult, while Lannes had 
engaged the right of the Russians, and effectually pre- 
vented them from moving to the assistance of their 
left, which was wholly engaged by the tremendous 
attack we have described, and entirely cut off from 



176 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

their centre. The extreme left of the Russians, which 
had begun the battle, perceiving the fatal mistake which 
had been made, attempted to re-ascend the Pratzer, but 
were so desperately pressed by Davoust, that they were 
compelled to fight where they stood, without daring 
either to advance or retire. 

Marshal Soult now ordered his division, under Van- 
damme, supported by one of Bernadotte's divisions, to 
make a change of direction by the right flank, for the 
purpose of turning all the Russian troops which still 
resisted St. Hilaire's division. The movement was 
completely successful ; and Soult' s two divisions crowned 
the heights to which the Emperor had pointed before 
the battle began. 

The right wing of the Russian army was meanwhile 
sustaining the tremendous onset of Lannes with both 
his divisions. The fight raged in that quarter through- 
out the whole of the operations we have detailed ; but 
at this point, Bernadotte's division being no longer 
required to support those of Soult, the Emperor ordered - 
the centre of the army to support the left. The Rus- 
sian right was now entirely broken ; the French cavalry 
by desperate and repeated charges completed the rout, 
and pursued the fugitives, who took the road to Austerlitz, 
till nightfall. Bernadotte, after pursuing the Russian 
infantry a full league, returned to his former position ; 
nobody knew why. Had he, on the contrary, continued 
inarching another half hour, he would have entirely in- 
tercepted the retreat, and taken or destroyed the whole 
of the Russian right. As it was, their flight w^is disas- 
trous in the extreme : they were forced into a hollow, 



AUSTEMITZ. 177 

where numbers attempted to escape across a frozen lake ; 
but the ice proving too weak for them, gave way, and 
the horrible scene which ensued — the crashing of the 
broken fragments, the thundering of the artillery, and 
the groans and shrieks of wounded and drowning men — 
baffles the imagination. 

Marshal Soult, now changing his position again by 
the right flank, descended the heights, having traversed 
a complete semi-circle, and took the Russian extreme 
left in the rear. The Emperor of Russia, who perceived 
the imminent danger of his whole army, dispatched his 
fine regiment of Russian guards, supported by a strong 
force of artillery, to attack Soult. Their desperate 
charge broke one of the French regiments. It was at 
this crisis that Napoleon brought his reserve into action. 
Bessieres, at the head of the imperial guard, rushed 
with irresistible fury into the fight. The Russians were 
entirely broken ; their army, surprised in a flank move- 
ment, had been cut into as many separate masses as 
there were columns brought up to attack it. They fled 
in disorder, and the victory of Austeriitz was decided. 

It was with the utmost difficulty that the two emperors 
of Russia and Austria effected their personal escape. 
The Emperor Alexander lost all his artillery, baggage, 
and standards ; twenty thousand prisoners, and upwards 
of twenty thousand killed and wounded. In the preci- 
pitate flight, the wounded were abandoned to their fate. 
Kutusoff, however, with laudable humanity, left placards 
in the French language, on the doors of the churches 
and the barns towards which they had crept, inscribed 
with these words : — " I recommend these unfortunate 

23 



178 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

men to the generosity of the Emperor Napoleon, and the 
humanity of his brave soldiers." 

In attempting to escape across some frozen ponds, 
the Russians broke through, and a large number of 
them were drowned. An eye-witness, General Lange- 
ron, says, " I have previously seen some lost battles, 
but I had no conception of such a defeat." 

Napoleon, who had participated in the pursuit, re- 
turned about night-fall. He was received with shouts 
by his triumphant troops, and they could scarcely be 
prevented from taking him in their arms. He soon 
commanded silence, and set about relieving the wounded, 
who actually covered the field. He administered brandy 
with his own hand to some suffering Russians, who 
could only repay him with a blessing, and gave orders 
that all the wounded should be attended to as speedily 
as possible. The troops had already given a name to 
the battle, that of the " Three Emperors." But Napo- 
leon himself gave this great conflict the name of the 
village near which it was fought. He issued the fol- 
lowing proclamation, immediately after victory had 
been achieved. 

" Soldiers — I am satisfied with you : in the battle of 
Austerlitz you have justified all that I expected from 
your intrepidity. You have decorated your eagles with 
immortal glory. An army of one hundred thousand 
men, commanded by the Emperors of Russia and 
Austria, has been in less than four hours either cut in 
pieces or dispersed. Those who escaped your weapons 
are drowned in the lakes. 



AUSTERLITZ. 



179 



" Forty colors, the standards of the imperial guard 
of Russia, one hundred and twenty pieces of cannon, 
more than thirty thousand prisoners, are the result of 
this ever-celebrated battle. That infantry, so highly 
vaunted and superior in number, could not withstand 
your shocks, and thenceforward you have no rivals to 
fear. Thus, in two months, this third coalition has 
been vanquished and dissolved. Peace cannot now be 
far distant, but, as I promised my people, before I 
passed the Rhine, I will make only such a peace as 
gives us guarantees and insures rewards to our allies. 

" Soldiers, when all that is necessary to secure the 
welfare and the prosperity of our country is accom- 
plished, I will lead you back to France : there you will 
be the object of my tenderest concern. My people will 
see you again with joy, and it will be sufficient to say, 
I was at the battle of Austerlitz, for them to reply, 

there is a brave man. 

" Napoleon." 





TEE SMatP-PQlEl AT [PAkEEY* 



^HE disaster at Austerlitz 
affected the Emperors 
Francis and Alexan- 
der very differently, 
Alexander was deeply 
dejected ; but Erancis 
was tranquil. Under 
the common misfor- 
tune, he had at least 
the consolation, that 
the Russians could no 
longer allege that the cowardice of the Austrians con- 
stituted all the glory of Napoleon. The two emperors 
(180) 




PALENY. 181 

retreated precipitately over the plain of Moravia, amidst 
profound darkness, separated from their household, and 
liable to be insulted through the barbarity of their own 
soldiers. Francis took it upon himself to send their 
gallant Prince John of Litchtenstein to Napoleon, to 
solicit an armistice, with a promise to sign a peace in a 
few days. He commissioned him, also, to express to 
Napoleon, his wish to have an interview with him at 
the advanced posts of the army. The French Emperor, 
having returned to his head-quarters at Posoritz, there 
received Prince John. He treated him as a conqueror 
full of courtesy, and agreed to an interview with the 
Emperor of Austria. But an armistice was not to be 
granted until the Emperors had met and explained 
themselves.- 

Napoleon hastened to recall his columns to Nasied- 
lowitz and Goding. Marshal Davoust, reinforced by 
the junction of Friant's whole division, and by the 
arrival in line of Gudin's division, had lost no time, 
thanks to his nearer position to the Hungary road. He 
set out in pursuit of the Russians, and pressed them 
closely. He intended to overtake them before the 
passage of the Morava, and to cut off perhaps a part of 
their army. After marching on the 3d, he was, on the 
morning of the 4th, in sight of Goding and nearly up 
with them. The greatest confusion prevailed in Goding. 
Beyond that place there w r as a mansion belonging to the 
Emperor of Germany, that of Holitsch, where the two 
allied sovereigns had taken refuge. The perturbation 
there was as great as at Goding. The Russian officers 
continued to hold the most unbecoming language re- 



182 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

specting the Austrians. They laid the blame of the 
common defeat on them, as if they ought not to have 
attributed it to their own presumption, to the incapacity 
of their generals, and to the levity of their government. 
The Austrians, moreover, had behaved quite as well as 
the Russians on the field of battle. 

The two vanquished monarchs were very cool towards 
each other. The Emperor Francis wished to confer 
with the Emperor Alexander, before he went to the 
interview agreed upon with Napoleon. Both thought 
that they ought to solicit an armistice and peace, for it 
was impossible to continue the struggle. Alexander 
was desirous, though he did not acknowledge it, that 
himself and his army should be saved as soon as possi- 
ble from the consequences of an impetuous pursuit, such 
as might be apprehended from Napoleon. As for the 
conditions, he left his ally to settle them as he pleased. 
The Emperor Francis alone having to defray the ex- 
penses of the war, the conditions on which peace should 
be signed concerned him exclusively. Some time before, 
the Emperor Alexander, setting himself up for the 
arbiter of Europe, would have insisted that those con- 
ditions concerned him also. His pride was less exigent 
since the battle of the 2d of December. 

The Emperor Francis accordingly set out for Nasied- 
lowitz, a village and there,near the mill of Paleny, between 
Nasiedlowitz and Urschitz, amidst the French and the 
Austrian advanced posts, he found Napoleon waiting 
for him, before a bivouac fire kindled by his soldiers. 
Napoleon had had the politeness to arrive firstv He 
went to meet the Emperor Francis, received him as he 



PALENT. 183 

alighted from his carriage and embraced him. The 
Austrian monarch, encouraged by the welcome of his 
all-powerful foe, had a long conversation with him. 
The principal officers of the two armies, standing aside, 
beheld with great curiosity the extraordinary spectacle 
of the successor of the Caesars vanquished and soliciting 
peace of the crowned soldier, whom the French Revo- 
lution had raised to the pinnacle of human greatness. 

Francis wore the brilliant costume of an Austrian 
field-marshal, and was a monarch of dignified aspect. 

Napoleon apologized to the Emperor Francis for 
receiving him in such a place. " Such are the palaces," 
said he, " which your majesty has obliged me to inhabit 
for these three months." — " The abode in them," replied 
the Austrian monarch, "makes you so thriving, that 
you have no right to be angry with me for it." The 
conversation then turned upon the general state of 
affairs, Napoleon insisting that he had been forced into 
the war against his will at a moment when he least ex- 
pected it, and when he was exclusively engaged with 
England; the Emperor of Austria affirming that he had 
been urged to take arms solely by the designs of France 
in regard to Italy. Napoleon declared that, on the 
conditions already specified to M. de Giulay, and which 
he had no need to repeat, he was ready to sign a peace. 
The Emperor Francis, without explaining himself on this 
subject, wished to know how Napoleon was disposed in 
regard to the Russian army. Napoleon first required 
that the Emperor Francis should separate his cause 
from that of the Emperor Alexander, and that the 
Russian army should retire by regulated marches from 



184 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the Austrian territories, and promised to grant him an 
armistice on this condition. As for peace with Russia, 
he added, that would be settled afterwards, for this 
peace concerned him alone. " Take my advice," said 
Napoleon to the Emperor Francis, "do not mix up 
your cause with that of the Emperor Alexander. Russia 
alone can now wage only a fancy war in Europe. Van- 
quished, she retires to her deserts, and you, you pay 
with your provinces the costs of the war." The forcible 
language of Napoleon expressed but too well the state 
of things in Europe between that great empire and the 
rest of the continent. The Emperor Francis pledged 
his word as a man and a sovereign not to renew the 
war, and above all to listen no more to the suggestions 
of powers which had nothing to lose in the struggle. 
He agreed to an armistice for himself — and for the Em- 
peror Alexander, an armistice, the condition of which 
was that the Russians should retire by regulated marches 
-—and that the Austrian cabinet should immediately 
send negotiators empowered to sign a separate peace 
with France. 

The two emperors parted with reiterated demonstra- 
tions of cordiality. Napoleon handed into his carriage 
that monarch whom he had just called his brother, and 
remounted his horse to return to Austerlitz. 

General Savary was sent to suspend the march of 
Davoust's corps. He first proceeded to Holitsch, with 
the suite of the Emperor Francis, to learn whether the 
Emperor Alexander acceded to the proposed conditions. 
He saw the latter, around whom every thing was much 
changed since the mission on which he was sent to him 



PALENY. 185 

a few days before. " Your master," said Alexander to 
him, "has shown himself very great. I acknowledge 
all the power of his genius, and, as for myself, I shall 
retire, since my ally is satisfied." General Savary con- 
versed for some time with the young czar on the late 
battle, explained to him how the French army, inferior 
in number to the Russian army, had nevertheless 
appeared superior on all points, owing to the art of 
manoeuvring which Napoleon possessed in so eminent a 
degree. He courteously added that with experience 
Alexander, in his turn, would become a warrior, but that 
so difficult an art was not to be learned in a day. After 
these flatteries to the vanquished monarch, he set out 
for Goding to stop Marshal Davoust, who had rejected 
all the proposals for a suspension of arms, and was 
ready to attack the relics of the Russian army. To 
no purpose he had been assured in the name of the Em- 
peror of Russia himself that an armistice was negotiating 
between Napoleon and the Emperor of Austria. He 
would not on any account abandon his prey. But Gene- 
ral Savary stopped him with a formal order from Na- 
poleon. These were the last musket-shots fired during 
that unexampled -campaign. The troops of the several 
nations separated to go into winter-quarters, awaiting 
what should be decided by the negotiators of the belli- 
gerent powers. 

24 




™g s&ehp-pqibb att mm&* 



EN A was one of Napoleon's most 
decisive fields. There, in 
the conflict of a day, Prus- 
sia, who had dared to defy 
a power which had brought 
Austria and Russia to the 
dust, was completely anni- 
hilated. There the descend- 
ants of the great Frederick 

reaped the bitter consequences of his weak presumption. 

At Jena, the valley of the Saale begins to widen. 
(186) 





NAPOLEON AT JENA. 



Page 186. 



JENA. 187 

The right bank is low, damp and covered with meadows. 
The left bank presents steep heights, whose peaked 
tops overlook the town of Jena, and are ascended 
by narrow, winding ravines, overhung with wood. On 
the left of Jena, a gorge more open, less abrupt, called 
the Muhlthal, has become the passage through which 
the high road from Jena to Weimar has been carried. 
This road first keeps along the bottom of the Mulhttial, 
then rises in form of a spiral staircase, and opens upon 
the plateaux in rear. It would have required a fierce 
assault to force this pass. 

The principal of the heights that overlook the town 
of Jena is called Landgrafenberg, and, since the memora- 
ble events of which it has been the theatre, it has 
received from the inhabitants the name of JNTapoleons- 
berg. It is the highest in these parts. Napoleon and 
Lannes, surveying from that height the surrounding 
country, with their backs turned to Jena, beheld on 
their right the Saale running in a deep, winding, wooded 
gorge, to Naumberg, which is six or seven leagues from 
Jena. Before them they saw undulated plateaux, 
extending to a distance, and subsiding by a gentle slope 
to the little valley of the Ilm, at the extremity of 
which is situated the town of Weimar. They perceived 
on their left the high road from Jena to Weimar, rising 
by a series of slopes from the gorge of the Muhlthal to 
these plateaux, and running in a straight line to Weimar. 
These slopes, somewhat resembling a sort of snail's shell, 
have thence received in German the appellation of the 
Schneeke (snail.) 

It was in September, 1806, that Napoleon, having 



188 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

set all his divisions in motion, left Paris and put him- 
self at the head of his grand army. The Prussians were 
superior in numbers, well disciplined, and full of spirit. 
They numbered between one hundred and thirty thou- 
sand and one hundred and forty thousand men. The 
cavalry especially, bore a high reputation, which, how- 
ever, as we shall see, it could not sustain. The French 
Emperor had ah army of one hundred and seventy 
thousand men in the field, with a power of concentrating 
one hundred thousand of them within a few hours. 

On learning that the Prussian army was changing its 
position and advancing from Erfurt upon Weimar, with 
a view to approach the banks of the Saale, Napoleon 
manoeuvred to meet the changes of the enemy. 

They might be coming thither with one of the two fol- 
lowing intentions : either to occupy the bridge over the 
Saale at Naumburg, over which passes the great central 
road of Germany, in order to retire upon the Elbe, while 
covering Leipzig and Dresden ; or to approach the 
course of the Saale, for the purpose of defending its 
banks against the French. To meet this double contin- 
gency, Napoleon took a first precaution, which was to 
dispatch Marshal Davoust immediately to Naumburg, 
with orders to bar the passage of the bridge there with 
the twenty-six thousand men of the third corps. He 
sent Murat, with the cavalry, along the banks of the 
Saale, to watch its course, and to push reconnoisances 
as far as Leipzig. He directed Marshal Bernadotte 
upon Naumburg, with instructions to support Marshal 
Davoust in case of need. He sent Marshals Lannes 
and Auger eau to Jena itself. His object was to make 



JENA. 189 

himself master immediately of the two principal passages 
of the Saale, those at Naumburg and Jena, either to stop 
the Prussian army there, if it should design to cross and 
to retire to the Elbe, or to go and seek it on the heights 
bordering that river, if it purposed to remain there on 
the defensive. As for himself, lie continued with Mar- 
shals Ney and Soult, within reach of Naumburg and 
Jena, ready to march for either point according to cir- 
cumstances. 

On the morning of the 13th, he learned by more cir- 
cumstantial accounts that the enemy was definitively 
approaching the Saale, with the yet uncertain resolution 
of fighting a defensive battle on its banks, or of crossing 
and pushing on to the Elbe. It was in the direction 
from Weimar to Jena that the largest assemblage 
appeared. Without losing a moment, Napoleon mounted 
his horse to proceed to Jena. He gave himself his in- 
structions to Marshals Soult and Ney, and enjoined 
them to be at Jena in the evening, or at latest in the 
night. He directed Murat to bring his cavalry towards 
Jena, and Marshal Bernadotte to take at Dornburg an 
intermediate position between Jena and Naumburg. He 
set out immediately, sending officers to stop all troops 
on march to Gera, and to make them turn back for Jena. 

In the evening of the preceding clay, Marshal Davoust 
had entered Naumburg, occupied the bridge of the 
Saale, and taken considerable magazines, with a fine 
bridge equipage. Marshal Bernadotte had joined him. 
Murat had sent his light cavalry as far as Leipzig, and 
surprised the gates of that great commercial city. 
Lannes had proceeded towards Jena, a small university 



190 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

town, seated on the very banks of the Saale, and had 
driven back pell-mell the enemy's troops left beyond the 
river, as at ell as the baggage, which encumbered the 
road. He had taken possession of Jena, and imme- 
diately pushed his advanced posts upon the heights 
which command it. From these heights he had per- 
ceived the army of the Prince of Hohenlohe, which, 
after recrossing the Saale, encamped between Jena and 
Weimar, and he had reason to suspect that a great 
assemblage was collecting in that place. 

Napoleon had arrived at Jena on the afternoon of the 
13th of October. Marshal Lannes, who had outstripped 
him, was waiting for him with impatience, like that of 
a war-horse, snuffing the battle. Both mounted their 
horses to reconnoitre the localities. We have described 
the ground upon which the battle was fought. The 
Prussians were posted on the heights which overlook 
the town of Jena. The French were coming up on the 
low ground on the opposite side of the river. The chief 
difficulty was to reach the Prussians. There was but 
one method that appeared practicable. The bold tirail- 
leurs of Lannes, entering the ravines which are met with 
on going out of Jena, had succeeded in ascending the 
principal eminence, and all at once perceived the Prus- 
sian army encamped on the plateaux of the left bank. 
Followed presently by some detachments of Suchet's 
division, they had made room for themselves by driving 
in General Tauenzien's advanced posts. Thus by force 
of daring, the heights which commanded the left bank 
of the Saale were gained ; but by a route which was 
scarcely practicable to artillery. Thither, Lannes con- 



JENA. 191 

ducted the emperor, amidst an incessant fire of tirailleurs 
which rendered reconnoisance extremely dangerous. 

Napoleon, having before him a mass of troops, the 
force of which could scarcely be estimated, supposed 
that the Prussian army had chosen this ground for a 
field of battle, and immediately made his dispositions, 
so as to debouch with his army on the Landgrafenberg, 
before the enemy should hasten up, en masse, to hurl 
him into the precipices of the Saale. He was obliged 
to make the best use of his time, and to take advantage 
of the space gained by the tirailleurs to establish himself 
on the height. He had, it is true, no more of it than 
the summit, for, only a few paces off, there was the 
corps of General Tauenzien, separated from the French 
only by a slight ridge of ground. This corps was sta- 
tioned near two villages, one on the right, that of Close- 
witz, surrounded by a small wood, the other on the left, 
that of Cospoda, likewise surrounded by a wood of 
some extent. Napoleon purposed to leave the Prus- 
sians quiet in this position till the next day, and mean- 
while to lead part of his army up the Landgrafenberg. 
The space which it occupied was capable of containing 
the corps of Lannes and the guard. He ordered them 
to be led up immediately through the steep ravines 
which serve to ascend from Jena to the Landgrafenberg. 
On the left, he placed Gazan's division. On the right, 
Suchet's division ; in the centre, and a little in rear, the 
foot-guard. He made the latter encamp in a square of 
four thousand men, and in the centre of this square he 
established hjs own bivouac. 

But it was not enough to bring infantry upon the 



192 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Landgrafenberg — it was necessary to mount artillery 
too upon it. Napoleon, riding about in all directions, 
discovered a passage less steep than the others, and by 
which the artillery might be dragged up with great ex- 
ertion. Unluckily, the way was too narrow. Napoleon 
sent forthwith for a detachment of the engineers, and 
had it widened by cutting the rock; he himself, in his 
impatience, directed the works, torch in hand. He did 
not retire till the night was far advanced, when he had 
seen the first pieces of cannon rolled up. It required 
twelve horses to drag each gun-carriage to the top of 
the Landgrafenberg. Napoleon purposed to attack 
General Tauenzien at day-break, and, by pushing him 
briskly, to conquer the space necessary for deploying 
his army. Fearful, however, of debouching by a single 
outlet, wishing also to divide the attention of the enemy, 
he directed Augereau towards the left, to enter the 
gorge of the Muhlthal, to march one of his two divi- 
sions upon the Weimar road, and to gain with the other 
the back of the Landgrafenberg, in order to fall upon 
the rear of General Tauenzien. On the right, he ordered 
Marshal Soult, whose corps, breaking up from Gera, was 
to arrive in the night, to ascend the other ravines, which, 
running from Lobstedt and Dornburg, debouch upon 
Closewitz, likewise for the purpose of falling upon the 
rear of General Tauenzien. With this double diversion, 
on the right and on the left, Napoleon had no doubt of 
forcing the Prussians in their position, and gaining for 
himself the space needed by his army for deploying. 
Marshals Ney and Murat were to ascend the Landgrafen- 
berg by the route Lannes and the guard had followed. 



JENA. 193 

The day of the 13th had closed ; profound darkness 
enveloped the field of battle. Napoleon had placed his 
tent in the centre of the square formed by his guard, 
and had suffered only a few fires to be lighted ; but all 
those of the Prussian army were kindled. The fires of 
the Prince of Hohenlohe were to be seen over the whole 
extent of the plateaux, and at the horizon on the right, 
topped by the old castle of Eckartsberg, those of the 
army of the Duke of Brunswick, which had all at once 
become visible for Napoleon. He conceived that, so 
far from retiring, the whole of the Prussian forces had 
come to take part in the battle. He sent immediately 
fresh orders to Marshals Davoust and Bernadotte. He 
enjoined Marshal Davoust to guard strictly the bridge 
of Naumberg, even to cross it, if possible, and to fall 
upon the rear of the Prussians, while they were engaged 
in front. He ordered Marshal Bernadotte, placed im- 
mediately, to concur in the projected movement, either 
by joining Marshal Davoust, if he was near the latter, 
or by throwing himself directly on the flank of the 
Prussians, if he had already taken at Dornburg a posi- 
tion nearer to Jena. Lastly, he desired Murat to arrive 
as speedily as possible with his cavalry. 

While Napoleon was making these dispositions, the 
Prince of Hohenlohe was in complete ignorance of the 
lot which awaited him. Still persuaded that the bulk 
of the French army, instead of halting before Jena, was 
hurrying to Leipzig and Dresden, he supposed that he 
should at most have to deal with the corps of Marshals 
Lannes and Augereau, which, having passed the Saale, 
would, he imagined, make their appearance between 

25 



194 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Jena and WeimaB, as if they had descended from the 
heights of the forest of Thuringia. Under this idea, 
jiot thinking of making front towards Jena, he had on 
that side opposed only the corps of General Tauenzien, 
and ranged his army along the road from Jena to Wei- 
mar. His left, composed of Saxons, guarded the sum- 
mit of the Schnecke; his right extended to Weimar, 
and connected itself with General Ruchel's corps. How- 
ever, a fire of tirailleurs, which was heard on the Land- 
grafenberg, having excited a sort of alarm, and General 
Tauenzien applying for succor, the Prince of Hohenlohe 
ordered the Saxon brigade of Cerini, the Prussian 
brigade of Sanitz, and several squadrons of cavalry, to 
get under arms, and dispatched these forces to the 
Landgrafenberg, to dislodge from it the French, whom 
he conceived to be scarcely established on that point. 
At the moment when he was about to execute this 
resolution, Colonel de Massenbach brought him from the. 
Duke of Brunswick a reiterated order not to involve 
himself in any serious action, to guard well the passages 
of the Saale, and particularly that of Dornburg, which 
excited uneasiness because some light troops had been 
perceived there. The Prince of Hohenlohe, who had 
become one of the most obedient of lieutenants when 
he 'ought not to have been so, desisted at once, in com- 
pliance with these injunctions from the head-quarters. 
It was singular, nevertheless, that in obeying the order 
not to fight, he should abandon the dehoiiche by which, 
on the morrow, a disastrous battle was to be forced 
upon him. Be this as it may, relinquishing the idea of 
retaking the Landgrafenberg, he contented himself with 



JENA. 195 

sending the Saxon brigade of Cerini to General Tau- 
enzien, and with placing at Nerkwitz, facing Dornburg, 
the Prussian brigade of Scheminelpfennig, lastly several 
detachments of cavalry and artillery, under the com- 
mand of General Holzendorf. He sent some light horse 
to Dornburg itself, to learn what was passing there. 
The Prince of Hohenlohe confined himself to these dis- 
positions : he returned to his head-quarters at Capel- 
lendorf. 

Napoleon, stirring before daylight, gave his last in- 
structions to his lieutenants, and orders for his soldiers 
to get under arms. The night was cold, the country 
covered to a distance with a thick fog, like that which 
for some hours enveloped the field of Austerlitz. Es- 
corted by men carrying torches, Napoleon went along 
the front of the troops, talking to the officers and sol- 
diers. He explained the position of the two armies, 
demonstrated to them that the Prussians were as deeply 
compromised as the Austrians in the preceding year ; 
that, if vanquished in that engagement, they would be 
cut off from the Elbe and the Oder, separated from the 
Russians, and forced to abandon to the French the 
whole Prussian- monarchy ; that, in such a situation, 
the French corps which should suffer itself to be beaten 
would frustrate the grandest designs, and disgrace itself 
for ever. He exhorted them to keep on their guard 
against the Prussian cavalry, and to receive it in square 
with their usual firmness. His words everywhere drew 
forth shouts of " Forward ! vive VEmpereur /" Though 
the fog was thick, yet through its veil the enemy's ad- 
vanced posts perceived the glare of the torches, heard 



196 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the acclamations of the French, and went to give the 
alarm to General Tauenzien. At that moment, the 
corps of Lannes set itself in motion, on a signal from 
Napoleon. Suchet's division, formed into three brigades, 
advanced first. Claparede's brigade, composed of the 
17th light infantry, and a battalion of elite , marched at 
the head, deployed in a single line. On the wings of 
this line, and to preserve it from attacks of cavalry, the 
34th and 40th regiments, forming the second brigade, 
were disposed in close column. Vedel's brigade, 
deployed, closed this sort of square. On the left of 
Suchet's division, but a little in rear, came Gazan's divi- 
sion> ranged in two lines and preceded by its artillery. 
Thus they advanced, groping their way through the 
fog. Suchet's division directed its course towards the 
village of Closewitz, which was on the right, Gazan's 
division towards the village of Cospoda, which was on 
the left. The Saxon battalions of Frederick Augustus 
and Rechten, and the Prussian battalion of Zweifel, 
perceiving through the fog a mass in motion, fired all 
together. The 17th light infantry sustained that fire, 
and immediately returned it. This fire of musketry 
was kept up for a few minutes, the parties seeing the 
flash and hearing the report, but not discerning one 
another. The French, on approaching, at length dis- 
covered the little wood which surrounded the village of 
Closewitz. General Claparede briskly threw himself 
into it, and, after a fight hand to hand, had soon carried 
it, as well as the village of Closewitz itself. Having 
deprived General Tauenzien's line of this support, the 
French continued their march amidst the balls that 



JENA. 197 

issued from that thick fog. Gazan's division, on its 
part, took the village of Cospoda, and established itself 
there. Between these two villages, but a little farther 
off, was a small hamlet, that of Lutzenrode, occupied 
by Erichsen's fusiliers. Gazan's division carried that 
also, and was then able to deploy more at its ease. 

At this moment the two divisions of Lannes were 
assailed by fresh discharges of artillery and musketry. 
These were from the Saxon grenadiers of the Cerini 
brigade, who, after taking up the advanced posts of 
General Tauenzien, continued to move forward, firing 
battalion volleys with as much precision as if they had 
been at a review. The 17th light infantry, which 
formed the head of Suchet's division, having exhausted 
its cartridges, was sent to the rear. The 34th took its 
place, kept up the fire for some time, then encountered 
the Saxon grenadiers with the bayonet, and broke 
them. The route having soon extended to the whole 
corps of General Tauenzien. Gazan's and Suchet's divi- 
sions picked up about twenty pieces of cannon and many 
fugitives. From the Lanclgrafenberg, the undulated 
plateaux, on which the French had just deployed, 
gradually subsided to the little valley of the Ihn. Hence 
they marched rapidly upon sloping ground, to the heels 
of a fleeing enemy. In this quick movement they en- 
countered two battalions of Cerini, and also Pelet's 
fusiliers, which had been left in the environs of Close- 
witz. These troops were flung back for the rest of the 
day towards General Holzendorf, commissioned on the 
preceding day to guard the debouche of Dornburg. 

This action had not lasted two hours. It was nine 



198 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

o'clock, and Napoleon had thus early realized the first 
part of his plan, which consisted in gaining the space 
necessary for deploying his army. At the same moment 
his instructions were executed at all points with remark- 
able punctuality. Towards the left, Marshal Augereau, 
having sent off Heudelet's division, and likewise his 
artillery and cavalry, to the extremity of the Muhlthal, 
on the high road from Weimar, was climbing with Des- 
jardin's divisions, the back of the Landgrafenberg, and 
coming to form on the plateaux to the left of Gazan's di- 
vision. Marshal Soult, only one of whose divisions, 
that of General St. Hilaire, had arrived, was ascending 
from Lobstedt, in the rear of Closewitz, facing the posi- 
tions of Nerkwitz and Alten-Krone, occupied by the 
relics of Tauenzien's corps and by the detachment of 
General Holzendorf. Marshal Ney, impatient to share 
in the battle, had detached from his corps a battalion of 
voltigeurs, a battalion of grenadiers, the 25th light 
infantry, two regiments of cavalry, and had gone on 
before with this body of elite. He entered Jena at the 
very hour when the first act of the engagement was 
over. Lastly, Murat, returning at a gallop, with the 
dragoons and cuirassiers, from reconnoisances executed 
on the Lower Saale, was mounting in breathless haste 
towards Jena. Napoleon resolved, therefore, to halt 
for a few moments on the conquered ground, to afford 
his troops time to get into line. 

Meanwhile, the fugitives belonging to General Tauen- 
zien's force had given the alarm to the whole camp of 
the Prussians. At the sound of the cannon, theiPrince 
of Hohenlohe had hastened to the Weimar road, where 



JENA. 199 

the Prussian infantry was encamped, not yet believing 
the action to be general, and complaining that the troops 
were harassed by being obliged needlessly to get under 
arms. Being soon undeceived, he took his measures 
for giving battle. Knowing that the French had passed 
the Saale at Saalfeld, he had expected to see them make 
their appearance between Jena and Weimar, and had 
drawn up his army along the road running from one to 
the other of these towns. As this conjuncture was not 
realized, he was obliged to change his dispositions, and 
he did it with promptness and resolution. He sent the 
bulk of the Prussian infantry, under the command of 
General Grawert, to occupy the positions abandoned by 
General Tauenzien. Towards the Schnecke, which 
was to form his right, he left the Niesemuchel division, 
composed of the two Saxon brigades of Burgsdorf and 
Nehroff, of the Prussian Boguslawski battalion, and of a 
numerous artillery, with orders to defend to the last 
extremity the winding slopes by which the Weimar 
road rises to the plateaux. To aid them, he gave them 
the Cerini brigade, rallied and reinforced by four Saxon 
battalions. In rear of his centre, he placed a reserve 
of five battalions under General Dyherrn, to support 
General Grawert. He had the wrecks of Tauenzien's 
corps rallied at some distance from the field of battle, 
and supplied with ammunition. As for his left, he 
directed General Holzendorf to push forward, if he 
could, and to fall upon the right of the French, while he 
would himself endeavor to stop them in front. He 
sent General Buchel information of what was passing, 
and begged him to hasten his march. Lastly, he hurried 



200 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

off himself with the Prussian cavalry and the artillery 
horses, to meet the French, for the purpose of keeping 
them in check and covering the formation of General 
Grawert's infantry. 

It was about ten o'clock, and the action of the morn- 
ing, interrupted for an hour, was about to begin again 
with greater violence, while, on the right, Marshal Soult, 
debouching from Lobstedt, was climbing the heights with 
St. Hilaire's division; while in the centre Marshal 
Lannes, with Suchet's and Gazan's divisions, was deploy- 
ing on the plateaux won in the morning; and while, on 
the left, Marshal Augereau, ascending from the bottom 
of the Muhlthal, had reached the village of Iserstedt, 
Marshal Ney, in his ardour for righting, had advanced 
with his three thousand men of the dite, concealed by 
the fog, and had placed himself between Lannes and 
Augereau, facing the village of Vierzehn-Heiligen, 
which occupied the centre of the field of battle. He 
arrived at the very moment when the Prince of Hohen- 
lohe was hastening up at the head of the Prussian 
cavalry. Finding himself all at once facing the enemy, 
he engaged before the Emperor had given orders for 
renewing the action. The horse artillery of the Prince 
of Hohenlohe having already placed itself in battery, 
Ney pushed the 10th chasseurs upon this artillery. 
This regiment, taking advantage of a clump of trees to 
form, dashed forward on the gallop, ascended by its 
right upon the flank of the Russian artillery, cut down 
the gunners, and took seven pieces of cannon, under the 
fire of the whole fine of the enemy. But a mass of 
Prussian cuirassiers rushed upon it, and he was obliged 



JENA. 201 

to retire -with precipitation. Ney then dispatched the 
3d hussars. This regiment, manoeuvring as the 10th 
chasseurs had done, took advantage of the clump of 
trees to form, ascended upon the flank of the cuirassiers, 
then fell upon them suddenly, threw them into disorder, 
and forced them to retire. Two regiments of light 
cavalry, however, were not enough to make head against 
thirty squadrons of dragoons and cuirassiers. The 
chasseurs and hussars were soon obliged to seek shelter 
behind the infantry. Marshal Ney then sent forward 
the battalion of grenadiers and the battalion of volti- 
geurs which he had brought, formed two squares, then 
placing himself in one of them, opposed the charges of 
the Prussian cavalry. He allowed the enemy's cuiras- 
siers to approach within twenty paces of his bayonets, 
and terrified them by the aspect of a motionless infantry 
which had reserved its fire. At his signal, a discharge 
within point-blank range strewed the ground with dead 
and wounded. Though several times assailed, these 
two squares remained unbroken. 

Napoleon, on the top of the Landgrafenberg, had 
been highly astonished to hear the firing recommence 
without his order. He learned with still more aston- 
ishment that Marshal Ney, whom he had supposed to 
be in the rear, was engaged with the Prussians. He 
hastened up greatly displeased, and on approaching Vier- 
zehn-Heiligen, perceived from the height Marshal Ney 
defending himself, in the middle of two weak squares, 
against the whole of the Prussian cavalry. This heroic 
demonstration was enough to dispel all displeasure. Na- 
poleon sent General Bertrand with two regiments of 

26 



202 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

light cavalry, all that he had at hand, in the absence of 
Murat, to assist in extricating Ney, and ordered Lannes 
to advance "with his infantry. During the time that 
elapsed before relief arrived, the intrepid Ney was not 
disconcerted. While, with four regiments of horse, he 
renewed his charges of cavalry, he moved the 25th 
infantry to his left, in order to station himself on the 
wood of Iserstedt, which Auger eau, on his part, was 
striving to reach ; he made the battalion of grenadiers 
advance as far as the little wood which had protected 
his chasseurs, and dispatched the battalion of . voltigeurs 
to gain possession of the village of Vierzhn-Heiligen. 
But, at the same instant, Lannes., coming to his assis- 
tance, threw the 21st regiment of light infantry into 
the village of Vierzehn-Heiligen, and, putting himself at 
the head of the 100th, 103d, 34th, 64th, and 88th of 
the hue, debouched in the face of the Prussian infantry 
of General Grawert. The latter deployed before the 
village of Vierzehn-Heiligen, with a regularity of move- 
ment due to long exercises. It drew up in order of 
battle, and opened a regular and terrible fire of small 
arms. Ney's three little detachments suffered severely ; 
but Lannes, ascending on the right of General Grawert's 
infantry, endeavored to turn it in spite of repeated 
charges of the Prince of Hohenlohe's cavalry, which 
came to attack him in his march. 

The Prince of Hohenlohe bravely supported his troops 
amidst the danger. The regiment of Sanitz was com- 
pletely broken ; he formed it anew under the fire. He 
then purposed that the Zastrow regiment should retake 
the village of Vierzhen-Heiligen at the point of the 



JENA. 203 

bayonet, hoping thereby to decide the victory. Mean- 
while he was informed that more hostile columns began 
to appear ; that General Holzendorf, engaged with su- 
perior forces, was incapable of seconding him; that 
General Ruchel, however, was on the point of joining 
him with his corps. He then judged it expedient to 
wait for this powerful succor, and poured a shower of 
shells into the village of Vierzehn-Heiligen, resolved to 
try the effect of flames before he attacked it with his 
bayonets. He sent at the same time officers to General 
Huchel, to urge him to hasten up, and to promise him 
the victory if he arrived in time ; for, according to him, 
the French were on the point of giving way. At that 
very hour fortune was deciding otherwise. Auger eau 
debouching at last from the wood of Iserstedt with Des- 
jar din's division, disengaged Ney's left, and began to 
exchange a fire of musketry with the Saxons who were 
defending the Schnecke, while General Heudelet at- 
tacked them in column on the high road from Jena to 
Weimar. On the other side of the field of battle, the 
corps of Marshal Soult, after driving the remains of the 
Cerini brigade, as well as the Pelet fusiliers, out of the 
wood of Closewitz, and flinging back Holzendorf 's de- 
tachment to a distance, opened its guns on the flank 
of the Prussians. Napoleon, seeing the progress of his 
two wings, and learning the arrival of the troops which 
had been left in rear, was no longer afraid to bring into 
action all the forces present on the ground, the guard 
included, and gave orders for advancing. An irresist- 
ible impulse was communicated to the whole line. The 
Prussians were driven back, broken, and hurled down 



204 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the sloping ground which descends from Landgrafenberg 
to the valley of the Urn. The regiments of Hohenlohe 
and the Hahn grenadiers, of Grawert's division, were 
almost entirely destroyed by the fire or by the bayonet. 
The Cerini brigade, assailed with grape, fell back upon 
the Dyherrn reserve, which in vain opposed its five 
battalions to the movement of the French. That reserve, 
being soon left uncovered, found itself attacked, sur- 
rounded on all sides, and forced to disperse. Tauenzien's 
corps, rallied for a moment, and brought back into the 
fire by the Prince of Hohenlohe, was hurried away, like 
the others, in the general rout. The Prussian cavalry, 
taking advantage of the absence of the heavy French 
cavalry, made charges to cover its broken infantry ; but 
the chasseurs and hussars kept it in check ; and though 
driven back several times, returned incessantly to the 
charge. A terrible carnage followed this disorderly re- 
treat. At every step prisoners were made; artillery 
was taken by whole batteries. 

In this great danger, General Ruchel at length made 
his appearance, but too late. He marched in two lines 
of infantry, having on the left the cavalry belonging to 
his corps, and on the right the Saxon cavalry, commanded 
by the brave General Zeschwitz, who had come of his 
own accord and taken that position. He ascended at a 
foot-pace those plateaux, sloping from the Landgrafen- 
berg to the Ilm. While mounting, Prussian and French 
poured down around him like a torrent, the one pursued 
by the other. He was thus met by a sort of tempest, 
at the moment of his appearance on the field of battle. 
While he was advancing, his heart rent with grief at 



JENA. 205 

this disaster, the French rushed upon him with the im- 
petuosity of victory. The cavalry which covered his left 
flank was first dispersed. That unfortunate general, an 
unwise but ardent friend of his country, was the first 
to oppose the shock in person. A ball entered his chest, 
and he was borne off dying in the arms of his soldiers. 
His infantry, deprived of the cavalry which covered it, 
found itself attacked in flank by the troops of Marshal 
Soult, and threatened in front by those of Marshals 
Lannes and Ney. The battalions placed at the left ex- 
tremity of the line, seized with terror, dispersed, and 
hurried along the rest of the corps in their flight. To 
aggravate the disaster, the French dragoons and cuiras- 
siers came up at a gallop, under the conduct of Murat, 
impatient to take a share in the battle. They surrounded 
those hapless and dispersed battalions, cut in pieces all 
who attempted to resist, and pursued the others to the 
banks of the Ilm, where they made a great number of 
prisoners. 

On the field of battle were left only the two Saxon 
brigades of Burgsdorf and Nehroff, which, after honora- 
bly defending the Schnecke against Heudelet's and Des- 
jardin's division of Augereau's corps, had been forced 
in their position by the address of the French tirailleurs, 
and effected their retreat, formed into two squares. 
These squares presented three sides of infantry and one 
of artillery, the latter being the rear side. The two 
Saxon brigades retired, halting alternately, firing their 
guns, and then resuming their march. Augereau's artil- 
lery followed, sending balls after them ; a swarm of 
French tirailleurs ran after them, harassing them with 



206 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

their small arms. Murat, who had just overthrown the 
relics of Ruchel's corps, fell upon the two Saxon bri- 
gades, and ordered them to be charged to the utmost 
extremity by his dragoons and cuirassiers. The dra- 
goons attacked first without forcing an entrance ; but 
they returned to the charge, penetrated and broke the 
square. General d'Hatpoul, with the cuirassiers, attacked 
the second, broke it, and made that havoc which a 
victorious cavalry inflicts on a broken infantry. Those 
unfortunate men had no other resource but to surrender. 
The Prussian battalion of Boguslawski was forced in its 
turn, and treated like the others. The brave General 
Zeschwitz, who had hastened with the Saxon cavalry 
to the assistance of its infantry, made vain efforts to 
support it, and was driven back, and forced to give way 
to the general rout. 

Murat rallied his squadrons, and hastened to Weimar, 
to collect fresh trophies. At some distance from that 
town were crowded together, pell-mell, detachments of 
infantry, cavalry, artillery, at the top of a long and 
steep slope, formed by the high road leading down to 
the bottom of the valley of the Ilm. These troops, 
confusedly huddled together, were supported upon a 
small wood, called the wood of Webicht. All at once, 
the bright helmets of the French "cavalry made their 
appearance. A few musket-shots were instinctively 
fired by this affrighted crowd. At this signal, the 
mass, seized with terror, rushed down the hill, at the 
foot of which Weimar is situated : foot, horse, artillery-, 
men, all tumbled over one another into this gulf — a 
new and tremendous disaster. Murat now sent 



JENA. 207 

after them a part of his dragoons, who goaded on this 
mob with the points of their swords, and pursued it 
into the streets of Weimar. With the others he made 
a circuit to the other side of Weimar, and cut off the 
retreat of the fugitives, who surrendered by thousands. 
Out of the seventy thousand Prussians who had 
appeared on the field of battle, not a single corps 
remained entire, not one retreated in order. Out of 
one hundred thousand French troops, composed of the 
corps of Marshals Soult, Lannes, Augereau, Ney, Murat, 
and the guard, not more than fifty thousand had fought, 
and they had been sufficient to overthrow the Prussian 
army. The greater part of that army, seized with a 
sort of vertigo, throwing away its arms, ceasing to know 
either its colors or its officers, covered all the roads of 
Thuringin. About twelve thousand Prussians and 
Saxons, killed and wounded, about four thousand French 
killed and wounded also, strewed the ground from Jena 
to Weimar. On the ground were seen stretched a great 
number — a greater number, indeed, than usual — of 
Prussian officers, who had nobly paid for their silly 
passions with their lives. Fifteen thousand prisoners, 
two hundred pieces of cannon, were in the hands of the 
French, intoxicated with joy. The shells of the Prus- 
sians had set fire to the town of Jena, and from the 
plateaux where the battle was fought, columns of flame 
were seen bursting from the dark bosom of night. 
French shells ploughed up the city of Weimar, and 
threatened it with a similar fate. The shrieks of fugi. 
tives while ruuning through the streets, the tramp of 
Murat's cavalry, dashing through them at a gallop, 



208 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

slaughtering without mercy all who were not quick 
enough in flinging down their arms, had filled with hor- 
ror that charming city — the noble asylum of letters. 

At Weimar, as at Jena, part of the inhabitants had 
fled. The conquerors, disposing like masters of their 
almost deserted towns, established their magazines and 
their hospitals in the churches and public buildings. 
Napoleon, on returning from Jena, directed his attention, 
according to his custom, to the collecting of the wounded, 
and heard shouts of Vive VEiwpereur ! mingled with the 
moans of the dying. 

But Napoleon knew not yet the full measure of his 
victory. In the course of the day, he had heard the 
distant thundering of the cannon in the direction of 
Naumberg, where he had posted Marshal Davoust. 
He had the greatest confidence in the wisdom, valor, 
and inflexible resolution of that great general, but he 
did not know of the immensely superior forces the 
Marshal had to fight, to maintain his position. The facts 
were soon learned. Marshal Davoust, with only twenty- 
six thousand men, had not only sustained his position 
for many hours against the impetuous attack of seventy 
thousand Prussians, commanded by the Duke of Bruns- 
wick, and cheered by the presence of Frederick Wilham 
himself, but had routed his enemy, and thus achieved 
the victory of Auerstadt. Never had there been a 
grander display of heroic firmness by general and sol- 
diers. The Prussians had lost three thousand prisoners, 
nine or ten thousand men, killed or wounded, besides 
the Duke of Brunswick, Marshal Mollendorf and Gene- 
ral Schwettan mortally wounded, together with a pro- 



jena. 209 

digious number of their gallant officers. Davoust had 
suffered a loss of seven thousand men, killed or wounded, 
and half the generals of brigade and colonels were placed 
hors de combat. The king was denied the consolation 
of his army retreating in good order. Nearly every 
corps was broken and disbanded, being seized with a 
panic. The roads were crowded with fear-stricken 
fugitives. 

During the terrible night, which followed the bloody 
day of Jena and Auerstadt, the victors suffered not less 
than the vanquished. The night was intensely cold, 
and they were obliged to bivouac on the ground, having 
scarcely any thing to eat. Many of them wounded, more 
or less severely, were stretched on the cold earth beside 
wounded enemies, mingling their groans. Napoleon 
made every effort in his power to relieve their sufferings, 
and many a poor soldier, almost fainting from loss of 
blood, exerted his feeble strength to shout " Vive VEm- 
pereur I " 

But the Prussian army was annihilated. The road 
to Berlin was open, and thither the French Emperor 
hastened, in following up his decisive victory. A few 
small actions were fought and the French made thousands 
of prisoners almost every day. Frederick William so- 
licited an armistice, but the Emperor refused to grant it 
for wise military reasons. He was destined to enter 
the Prussian capital in triumph. Never did Europe 
dread the name of Napoleon so notably as when that 
Prussian army, upon which the last hope was founded, 
vanished before his resistless arms. 

27 




tos ®Mat?«LFQLE<i ®m this m/mmi< 



easily 



passed 
(210) 



APOLEON, having vanquished 
the Prussians, once 
more turned his arms 
against the Russians, 
who, under the com- 
mand of Kamenski 
and Bennigsen, num- 
bered about one hun- 
dred and fifteen thou- 
sand men. They were 
posted upon the Vis- 
tula; but as Napoleon 
that great river, they retired behind the 




NAEEW. 211 

Narew. The passage of this stream was one of the re- 
markable achievements of the French, during this portion 
of the Emperor's splendid career. 

Having arrived in the night, between the 18th and 
19th of December, 1806, Napoleon reconnoitred the po- 
sition of Marshal Davoust on the Narew, but a thick 
fog prevented him from attaining much accurate intelli- 
gence. He made his dispositions for attacking the 
enemy on the 22cl or 23d of December. It is high 
time, he wrote to Marshal Davoust, to take our winter 
quarters ; but this cannot be done till we have driven 
back the Russians. 

The four divisions of General Bennigsen first pre- 
sented themselves. Count Tolstoy's division, posted at 
Czarnowo, occupied the apex of the angle formed by the 
junction of the Ukra and the Narew. That of General 
Sacken, also placed in rear towards Lopaczym, guarded 
the banks of the Ukra. The division of Prince Gal- 
litzin was in reserve at Pultusk. The four divisions of 
General Buxhovclen were at a great distance from those 
of General Bennigsen, and not calculated to render 
support to him. 

It is easy to* perceive that the distribution of the 
Russian corps was not judiciously combined in the angle 
of the Ukra and the Narew, and that they had not suffi- 
ciently concentrated their forces. If, instead of having 
a single division at the point of the angle, and one on 
each side at too great a distance from the first, lastly, 
five out of reach, they had distributed themselves with 
intelligence over ground so favourable for the defensive ; 
if they had strongly occupied, first the conflux, then 



212 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the two rivers, the Narew from Czarnowo to Pultusk, 
the Ukra from Pomichowo to Kolozomb ; if they had 
placed in reserve in a central position, at Nasielsk, for 
example, a principal mass, ready to run to any threat- 
ened point, they might have disputed the ground with 
advantage. But Generals Bennigsen and Buxhovden 
were on bad terms ; they disliked to be near each other ; 
and old Kamenski, who had arrived only on the preced- 
ing day, had neither the necessary intelligence nor 
spirit for prescribing other dispositions than they had 
adopted in following each of them his whim. 

Napoleon, who saw the position of the Russians from 
without only, certainly concluded that they were in- 
trenched behind the Narew and the Ukra, for the purpose 
of guarding the banks, but without knowing how they 
were established "and distributed there. He thought 
that it would be advisable to take, in the first place, the 
conflux, where it was probable, they would defend 
themselves with energy, and having carried that point, 
to proceed to the execution of his plan, which consisted 
in throwing the Russians, by a wheel from right to left, 
into the marshy and woody country in the interior of 
Poland. In consequence, having repeated the order to 
Marshals Ney, Bernadotte and Bessieres, forming his 
left, to proceed rapidly from Thorn to Biezun on the 
upper course of the Ukra; to Marshals Soult and Auge- 
reau, forming in his centre, to set out from Plock and 
Modlin, and form a junction at Plonsk on the Ukra; he 
put himself at the head of his right, composed of Da- 
voust's corps, Lannes's corps, of the guard, and the 
reserves, resolved to force immediately the position of 



NAREW. 



213 



the Russians at the conflux of the Ukra and the Narew. 
He left in the works of Praga the Poles of the new 
levy, with a division of dragoons, a force sufficient to 
ward off all accidents, as the army was not to remove 
far from Warsaw. 

Having arrived on the morning of the 23d of December 
at Okunin on the Narew, in wet weather, by muddy 
and almost impassable roads, Napoleon alighted, to 
superintend in person the dispositions of attack. This 
general, who, according to some critics, while directing 
armies of three hundred thousand men, knew not how 
to lead a brigade into fire, went himself to reconnoitre 
the enemy's positions, and to place his forces on the 
ground, down to the very companies of the voltigeurs. 

The Narew had been already crossed at Okunin, 
below the conflux of the Ukra and the Narew. To 
penetrate into the angle formed by those two rivers, it 
was necessary to pass either the Narew or the Ukra 
above their point of junction. The Ukra, being the 
narrower of the two, was deemed preferable for attempt- 
ing a passage. Advantage had been taken of an island 
which divided it into two arms, near its mouth, in order 
to diminish the difficulty. On this island the French 
had established themselves, and they had yet to pass 
the second arm to reach the point of land occupied by 
the Russians between the Ukra and the Narew. This 
point of land, covered with woods, coppices, marshes, 
&c, looked like one very dense thicket. Further off, 
the ground became somewhat clearer, then rose and 
formed a steep declivity, which extended from the 
Narew to the Ukra. To the right of this natural in- 



214 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

trenchment appeared the village of Czarnowo on the 
Narew, to the left of the village of Pomichowo on the 
Ukra. The Russians had advanced guards of tirailleurs 
in the thicket, several battalions and a numerous artillery 
on the elevated part of the ground, two battalions in 
reserve, and all their cavalry in the rear. Napoleon 
repaired to the island, mounted the roof of a barn by 
means of a ladder, studied the position of the Russians 
with a telescope, and immediately made the following 
dispositions. He scattered a great quantity of tirailleurs 
all along the Ukra, and to a considerable distance above 
the point of passage. He ordered them to keep up a 
brisk firing, and to kindle large fires with damp straw, 
so as to cover the bed of the river with a cloud of smoke, 
and to cause the Russians to apprehend an attack above 
the conflux, towards Pomichowo. He even directed to 
that quarter Gauthier's brigade, belonging to Davoust's 
corps, in order the more effectually to draw the enemy's 
attention thither. During the execution of these orders, 
he collected at dusk all the companies of voltigeurs of 
Morand's division, on the intended point of passage, and 
ordered them to fire from one bank to the other, through 
the clumps of wood, to drive off the enemy's posts, while 
the seamen of the guard were equipping the craft col- 
lected on the Narew. The 17th of the fine and the 13th 
light infantry were in column, ready to embark by detach- 
ments, and the rest of Morand's division was assembled 
in the rear, in order to pass as soon as the bridge was 
established. The other divisions of Davoust's corps 
were at the bridge of Okunin, awaiting the moment for 
acting. Lannes was advancing from Warsaw to Okunin. 




THE CAM P-F IRE ON THE NAREW. 



Page 21*. 



NAREW. 215 

The seamen of the guard soon brought some boats, by 
means of which several detachments of voltigeurs were 
conveyed from one bank to the other. These penetrated 
into the thicket, while the officers of the pontoniers and 
the seamen of the guard were occupied in forming a 
bridge of boats with the utmost expedition. At seven in 
the evening, the bridge being passable, Morand's division 
crossed in close column, and marched forward, preceded 
by the 17th of the line and the 13th light infantry, and 
by a swarm of tirailleurs. They advanced under cover 
of the darkness and the wood. The sappers of the regi- 
ment cleared a passage through the thicket for the in- 
fantry. No sooner had they overcome these first obstacles, 
than they found themselves unsheltered, opposite to the 
elevated plateau which runs from the Narew to the 
Ukra, and which was defended either by abattis or by 
a numerous artillery. The Russians, amidst the dark- 
ness of the night, opened upon the French columns a 
continuous fire of grape and musketry, which did some 
mischief. While the voltigeurs of Morand's division and 
the 13th light infantry approached as tirailleurs, Colonel 
Lanusse, at the head of the 17th of the line, formed in 
column of attack on the right, to storm the Russian 
batteries. He had already carried one of them, when the 
Russians advancing in mass upon his left flank, obliged 
him to fall back. The rest of Morand's division came up 
to the support of the two first regiments . The 1 3th light, 
infantry having exhausted its cartridges, was replaced 
by the 30th, and again they marched by the right to 
attack the village of Czarnowo, while on the left, General 
Petit proceeded with four hundred picked men to the 



216 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

attack of the Russian intrenchments facing the Ukra, 
opposite to Pomichowo. In spite of the darkness, they 
monoeuvred with the utmost order. Two battalions of 
the 30th and one of the 17th attacked Czarnowo, one 
by going along the bank of the Narew, the two others 
by directly climbing the plateau on which the village is 
seated. These three battalions carried Czarnowo, and, 
followed by the 51st and the 61st regiments, debouched 
on the plateau, driving back the Russians into the plain 
beyond it. At the same moment General Petit had as- 
saulted the extremity of the enemy's intrenchments to- 
wards the Ukra, and, seconded by the fire of artillery, 
kept up by Gauthier's brigade from the other side of 
the river, had carried them. At midnight, the assailants 
were masters of the position of the Russians from the 
Narew to the Ukra, but, from the tardiness of their re- 
treat, which could be discerned in the dark, it was to 
be inferred that they would return to the charge, and, 
for this reason, Marshal Davoust sent the second brigade 
of General Gudin's division to the assistance of General 
Petit who was most exposed. During the night, the 
Russians, as it had been foreseen, returned three times 
to the charge, with the intention of retaking the position 
which they had lost, and hurling down the French from 
the plateau towards that point of w T oody and marshy 
ground on which they had landed. Thrice were they 
suffered to approach within thirty paces, and each time 
the French replying to their attack by a point-blank fire; 
brought them to a dead stand, and then, meeting them 
with the bayonet, repulsed them. At length, the night 
being far advanced, they betook themselves in full re- 



NAREW. 



217 



treat, towards Nasielsk. Never was night action fought 
with greater order, precision, and hardihood. The Rus- 
sians left, killed, wounded and prisoners, about eighteen 
hundred men, and a great quantity of artillery. The 
French had six hundred wounded, and about one 
hundred killed. 

Napoleon, at his evening camp-fire on the Narew, con- 
gratulated General Morancl and Marshal Davoust upon 
their gallant conduct, and hastened to reap the benefits 
of the victory. Then followed a series of actions in ter- 
rible weather, and in a country now hardened with frost, 
and then slushed with rain. In all these, the lieutenants 
of the Emperor, and especially the indomitable Lannes, 
gained unfading glory. 





imas sABH[p-!?QiBS at gimMU 



■^rpHE Russians, under General 
[J Bennigsen, were pursued and 
harassed by the French 
Marshals after the passage 
of the Narew, until the even- 
ing of the 7th of February, 
1807, when they halted be- 
yond the village of Eylau, 
and evinced a determination 
to give battle on the follow- 
ing day. The" French army was worn with" fatigue, 
reduced in number by rapid marches and rear-guard 
(218) 




ETLAU. 219 

actions, pinched with hunger and suffering from cold. 
But they were now to fight a great battle against a 
superior number of brave and disciplined troops. 

Napoleon, losing no time, dispatched the same even- 
ing several officers to Marshals Davoust and Ney, to 
bring them back, the one to his right, the other to his 
left. Marshal Davoust had continued to follow the 
Alle to Bartenstein, and he was not more than three or 
four leagues off. He replied that he should arrive at 
daybreak upon the right of Eylau (the right of the 
French army) ready to fall upon the flank of the Rus- 
sians. Marshal Ney, who had been directed upon the 
left, so as to keep the Prussians at a distance, and to be 
able to rush upon Konigsberg, in case the Russians 
should throw themselves behind the Pregel — Marshal 
Ney was marching for Krentzburg. Messengers were 
dispatched after him, though it was not so sure that he 
could be brought back in time to the field of battle, as 
it was that Marshal Davoust would make his appearance 
there. 

Deprived of Ney's corps, the French army amounted 
at. most to fifty and some thousand men. If Marshal 
Ney were to arrive in time, it would be possible to 
oppose sixty-three thousand men to the enemy, all pre- 
sent under fire. No expectation could be entertained 
of the arrival of Bernadotte's corps, which was thirty 
leagues off. 

Napoleon, who slept that night but three or four 
hours in a chair in the house of the postmaster, placed 
the corps of Marshal Soult at Eylau itself, partly within 
the town, partly on the right and left of it, Augereau's 



220 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

corps and the imperial guard a little in rear, and all the 
cavalry upon the wings, till daylight should enable him 
to make his dispositions. 

General Bennigsen had at last determined to give 
battle. He was on level ground, or nearly so, excellent 
ground for his infantry, not much versed in manoeuvres, 
but solid, and for his cavalry, which was numerous. 
His heavy artillery, which he had directed to make a 
circuit, that it might not cramp his movements, had just 
rejoined him. 

His army, amounting to seventy-eight or eighty 
thousand men, and to ninety thousand with the Prus- 
sians, had sustained considerable losses in the late bat- 
tles, but scarcely any in marches, for an army in 
retreat, without being in disorder, is rallied by the enemy 
that pursues it, whereas the pursuing army, not having 
the same motives for keeping close together, always 
leaves part of its effective force behind. Deducting the 
losses sustained at Mohrungen, Bergfried, Waltersdorf, 
Hoff, Heilsberg, and at Eylau itself, one may say that" 
General Bennigsen's army was reduced to about eighty 
thousand men, seventy-two thousand of whom were 
Russians, and eight thousand Prussians. Thus, in case 
General Lestocq and Marshal Ney should not arrive, 
fifty-four thousand French would have to fight seventy- 
two thousand Russians. The Russians had, moreover, 
a formidable artillery, computed at four or five hundred 
pieces. That of the French amounted to two hundred 
at most, including the guard. It is true that it was 
superior to all the artilleries of Europe, even to that of 
the Austrians. General Bennigsen, therefore, deter- 



EYLAU. 221 

mined to attack at daybreak. The character of his 
soldiers was energetic, like that of the French soldiers, 
but governed by other motives. The Russians had 
neither that confidence of success nor that love of glory 
which the French exhibited, but a certain fanaticism of 
obedience, which induced them to brave death blindly. 

Since debouching upon Eylau, the country appeared 
level and open. The little town of Eylau, situated on 
a slight eminence, and topped by a Gothic spire, was 
the only conspicuous point. The ground gently sloping, 
on the right of the church, presented a cemetery. In 
front it rose perceptibly, and on this rise, marked by 
some hillocks, appeared the Russians in a deep mass. 
Several lakes, full of water in spring, frozen in winter, 
at this time covered with snow, were not distinguish- 
able in any way from the rest of the plain. Scarcely 
did a few barns united into hamlets, and lines of barriers 
for folding cattle, form a point d'appui, or an obstacle on 
this dreary field of battle. A gray sky, dissolving at 
times into thick snow, added its dreariness to that of 
the country, a dreariness which seized upon both the 
eye and heart. 

During the greater part of the night Napoleon was 
employed in learning the force and position of the enemy, 
and drawing a plan of the battle, as he reclined on the 
snow by his dreary camp-fire. The four hours of sleep 
in a chair was quite sufficient to refresh his energies, 
and prepare him for the great struggle of the next day. 
The troops who bivouacked in the vicinity of Eylau, 
suffered severely from the cold. They had but few 
fires, as fuel was scarce. Most of these gallant sol- 



222 CAMP-FIRES OP NAPOLEON. 

diers, who had been marching and fighting for several 
days, dared not trust themselves to slumber on the 
ground for fear of freezing to death. 

At break of the day, the position of the Russians 
was discovered. They were drawn up in two lines, 
very near to each other, their front being covered by 
three hundred pieces of cannon, planted on the salient 
points of the ground. In the rear, two close columns, 
appuying, like two flying buttresses, this double line of 
battle seemed designed to support it, and to prevent its 
breaking under the shock of a charge from the impetu- 
ous French. * A strong reserve of artillery was placed 
at some distance. The cavalry was partly in the rear, 
and partly on the wings. The Cossacks kept with the 
body of the army. 

Napoleon, on horseback, at daybreak, stationed him- 
self in the cemetery to the right of Eylau, where, 
scarcely protected by a few trees from the cannonade 
which the Russians had already commenced, he surveyed 
the positions of the enemy. He could foresee that vic- 
tory would cost him dearly, from the solid and obstinate 
mass which the Russian general had formed. 

Owing to the position of Eylau, which stretched itself 
out facing the Russians, Napoleon could give the less 
depth to his line of battle, and consequently the less 
scope to the balls of the artillery. Two of Marshal 
Soult's divisions were placed at Eylau, Legrand's divi- 
sion in advance and a little to the left, Leval's division, 
partly on the left of the town, upon an eminence topped 
by a mill, partly on the right, at the cemetery itself. The 
third division of Marshal Soult's, St. Hilaire's division, 



EYIAtt. 223 

was established still further to the right, at a considera- 
ble distance from the cemetery, in the village of Rothe- 
nen, which formed the prolongation of the position of 
Eylau. In the interval between the village of Rothenen, 
and the town of Eylau, an interval left vacant for the 
purpose of making the rest of the army debouch there, 
was posted a little in rear, Augereau's corps, drawn up 
in two lines, and formed of Desjardins's and Heudelet's 
divisions. Augereau, tormented with fever, his eyes 
red and swollen, but forgetting his complaints at the 
sound of the cannon, had mounted his horse to put him- 
self at the head of his troops. Further in rear of that 
same debouche came the infantry and cavalry of the 
imperial guard, the divisions of cuirassiers and dragoons, 
both ready to present themselves to the enemy by the 
same outlet, and meanwhile somewhat sheltered from 
the cannon by a hollow of the ground. Lastly, at the 
extreme right of this field of battle, beyond and in 
advance of Rothenen, at the hamlet of Serpallen, the 
corps of Marshal Davoust was to enter into action in 
such a manner as to fall upon the flank of the Russians. 
Thus Napoleon was in open order, and his line having 
the advantage of .being covered on the left by the build- 
ings of Eylau, on the right by those of Rothenen, the 
combat of artillery, by which he designed to demolish 
the kind of wall opposed to him by the Russians, would 
be much less formidable for him than foi them. He 
had caused all the cannon of the army to be removed 
from the corps, and placed in order of battle. To these 
he had ordered the forty pieces belonging to the guard, 
and he was thus about to reply to the formidable artil- 



224 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

lery of the Russians by an artillery far inferior in 
number, but much superior in skill. 

The Russians had commenced the firing. The French 
had answered it immediately by a violent cannonade at 
half cannon-shot. The earth shook under the tremen- 
dous detonation. The French artillerymen, not' only 
more expert, but firing at a living mass, which served 
them for a butt, made dreadful havoc. The balls swept 
down whole files. Those of the Russians, on the con- 
trary, directed with less precision, and striking against 
buildings, inflicted less mischief. The town of Eylau 
and the village of Rothenen were soon set on fire. 
The glare of the conflagration added its terrors to the 
horrors of the carnage. Though there fell far fewer 
French than Russians, still there fell a great many, 
especially in the ranks of the imperial guard, motionless 
in the cemetery. The projectiles, passing over" the 
head of Napoleon, and sometimes very close to him, 
penetrated the walls of the church, or broke branches 
from the trees at the foot of which he had placed him- 
self to direct the battle. 

This cannonade lasted for a long time, and both armies 
bore it with heroic tranquillity, never stirring, and 
merely closing their ranks as fast as the cannon made 
breaches in them. The Russians seemed first to feel a 
sort of impatience. Desirous of accelerating the result 
by the taking of Eylau, they moved off to carry the 
position of the mill, situated on the left of the town. 

Part of their right formed in column, and came to the 
attack. Leval's division gallantly repulsed it, and by 
their firmness left the Russians no hope of success. 



EYLAXT. 225 

As for Napoleon, he attempted nothing decisive, for 
he would not endanger, by sending it forward, the corps 
of Marshal Soult, which had done so well to keep Eylau 
under such a tremendous cannonade. He waited for 
acting till the presence of Marshal Davoust's corps, 
which was coming on the right, should begin to be felt 
on the flank of the Russians. 

This lieutenant, punctual as he was intrepid, had 
actually arrived at the village of Serpallen. Friant's 
division marched at the head. It debouched the first, 
encountered the Cossacks, whom it had soon driven 
back, and occupied the village of Serpallen with some 
companies of light infantry. No sooner was it esta- 
blished in the village and in the grounds on the right, 
than one of the masses of cavalry posted on the wings 
of the Russian army detached itself, and advanced to- 
wards. General Friant, availing himself with intelli- 
gence and coolness of the advantages afforded by the 
accidents of the locality, drew up the three regiments 
of which his division was then composed behind the 
long and solid wooden barrier, which served for folding 
cattle. Sheltered behind this natural intrenchment, he 
kept up a fire within point-blank range upon the Rus- 
sian squadrons, and forced them to retire. They fell 
back, but soon returned, accompanied by a column of 
nine or ten thousand infantry. It was one of the two 
close columns, which served for flying buttresses to the 
Russian line of battle, and which now bore to the left 
of that hue, to retake Serpallen. General Friant had 
but five hundred men to oppose to it. Still, sheltered 
behind the wooden barrier with which he had covered 

29 



226 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

himself, and able to deploy without apprehension of 
being charged by the cavalry, he saluted the Russians 
with a fire so continuous and so well directed, as to 
occasion them considerable loss. Their squadrons hav- 
ing shown an intention to turn him, he formed the 33d 
into square on his right, and stopped them by the im- 
perturbable bearing of his foot-soldiers. As he could 
not make use of his cavalry, which consisted of some 
horse chasseurs, he made amends for it by a swarm of 
tirailleurs, who kept up such a tire upon the flanks of 
the Russians, as to oblige them to retire towards the 
heights in rear of Serpallen, between Serpallen and 
Klein-Sausgarten. On retiring to these heights, the 
Russians covered themselves by a numerous artillery, 
the downward fire of which was very destructive. 
Morand's division had arrived in its turn on the field of 
battle. Marshal Davoust, taking the first brigade, that 
of General Ricard, went and placed it beyond and on 
the left of Serpallen ; he then posted the second, com- 
posed of the 51st and the 61st, on the right of the 
villages, so as to support either Ricard's brigade or 
Friant's division. The latter had proceeded to the right 
of Serpallen, towards Klein-Sausgarten. At this very 
moment, Guclin's division was accelerating its speed to 
get into fine. Thus the Russians had been obliged by 
the movement of the French right to draw back their 
left from Serpallen towards Klein-Sausgarten. 

The expected effect on the flank Of the enemy's 
army was therefore produced. Napoleon, from the posi- 
tion which he occupied, had distinctly seen the Russian 
reserves directed towards the corps of Marshal Davoust. 



EYLAU. 227 

The hour for acting had arrived ; for, unless he inter- 
fered, the Russians might fall in mass upon Marshal 
Davoust and crush him. Napoleon immediately gave 
his orders. He directed St. Hilaire's division, which 
was at Rothenen, to push forward and to give a hand 
to Morand's division about Serpallen. He commanded 
the two divisions of Augereau's corps, to debouch by the 
interval between Rothenen and Eylau, to connect them- 
selves with St. Hilaire's division, and to form all together 
an oblong line from the cemetery of Eylau to Serpallen. 
The result expected from this movement was to over- 
turn the Russians, by throwing their right upon their 
centre, and thus break down, beginning at its extremity, 
the long wall which he had before him. 

It was ten in the morning. General St. Hilaire 
moved off, left Rothenen, and deployed obliquely in the 
plain, under a terrible fire of artillery, his right at Ser- 
pallen, his left towards the cemetery. Augereau moved 
nearly at the same time, not without a melancholy fore- 
boding of the fate reserved for his corps d'armee, which 
he saw exposed to the danger of being dashed to pieces 
against the centre of the Russians, solidly appuyed upon 
several hillocks.- While General Corbineau was deliver- 
ing the orders of the Emperor to him, a ball pierced the 
side of that gallant officer. Marshal Augereau marched 
immediately. The two divisions of Desjardins and 
Heudelet debouched between Rothenen and the ceme- 
tery, in close columns 5 then, having cleared the defile, 
formed in order of battle, the first brigade of each divi- 
sion deployed, the second in square. While they were 
advancing, a squall of wind and snow, beating all at 



228 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

once into the faces of the soldiers, prevented them from 
seeing the field of battle. The two divisions, enveloped 
in this kind of cloud, mistook their direction, and bore 
a little to the left, leaving on their right a considerable 
space between them and St. Hilaire's division. The 
Russians, but little incommoded by the snow, which 
they had at their backs, seeing Augereau's two divisions 
advancing towards the hillocks on which they appuyed 
their centre, suddenly unmasked a battery of seventy- 
two pieces, which they kept in reserve. So thick was 
the grape poured forth by this formidable battery, that 
in a quarter of an hour half of Augereau's corps was 
swept down. General Desjardins, commanding the 
first division, was killed \ General Heudelet, command- 
ing the second, received a wound that was nearly mortal. 
The staff of the two divisions was soon liors de combat. 
While they were sustaining this tremendous fire, being 
obliged to re-form while marching, so much were their 
ranks thinned, the Russian cavalry, throwing itself into 
the space which separated it from Morand's division, 
rushed upon them en masse. Those brave divisions, 
however, resisted — but they were obliged to fall back 
towards the cemetery of Eylau, giving ground without 
breaking, under the repeated assaults of numerous 
squadrons. The snow having suddenly ceased, they 
could then perceive the melancholy spectacle. Out of 
six or seven thousand combatants, about four thousand 
killed or wounded strewed the ground. Augereau, 
wounded, himself, but more affected by the disaster of 
his eorps d'armee than by his personal danger, was~carried 
into the cemetery of Eylau to the feet of Napoleon, to 



EYLAU. 229 

whom he complained, not without bitterness, of not hav- 
ing been timely succored. Silent grief pervaded every 
face in the imperial staff. Napoleon, calm and firm, 
imposing on others the impassibility which he imposed 
on himself, addressed a few soothing words to Augereau, 
then sent him to the rear, and took his measures for 
repairing the mischief. Dispatching, in the first place, 
the chasseurs of his guard and some squadrons of dra- 
goons which were at hand, to drive back the enemy's 
cavalry, he sent for Murat, and ordered him to make a 
decisive effort on the fine of infantry which formed the 
centre of the Russian army, and which, taking advan- 
tage of Augereau's disaster, began to press forward. 
At the first summons, Murat came up at a gallop. 
" Well," said Napoleon, " are you going to let those fel- 
loivs eat us up f He then ordered that heroic chief of 
his cavalry to collect the chasseurs, the dragoons, the 
cuirassiers, and to fall upon the Russians with eighty 
squadrons, to try what effect the shock of such a mass 
of horse, charging furiously, would have on an infantry 
reported not to be shaken. The cavalry of the guard 
was brought forward, ready to add its shock to the ca- 
valry of the army. The moment was critical, for, if the 
Russian infantry were not stopped, it would go and 
attack the cemetery, the centre of the position, and 
Napoleon had only six foot battalions of the imperial 
guard to defend it. 

Murat galloped off, collected his squadrons, made 
them pass between the cemetery and Rothenen, through 
the same debouch by which Augereau's corps had 
already marched to almost certain destruction. General 



230 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

Grouchy's dragoons charged first, to sweep the ground, 
and clear it of the enemy's cavalry. That brave officer, 
whose horse fell with him, put himself, on rising, at the 
head of a second brigade, and effected his purpose of 
dispersing the groups of cavalry which preceded the 
Russian infantry. But, for overturning the latter, noth- 
ing short of the heavy iron-clacl squadrons of General 
d'Hautpoul was required. That officer, who distin- 
guished himself by consummate skill in the art of 
managing a numerous cavalry, came forward with twenty- 
four squadrons of cuirassiers, followed by the whole 
mass of dragoons. These cuirassiers, ranged in several 
lines, started off and threw themselves upon the Russian 
bayonets. The first lines, arrested by the fire, could 
not penetrate, and falling back to right and left, went 
to form afresh behind those who followed them, in order 
to charge anew. At length, one of them, rushing on 
with more violence, broke the enemy's infantry at one 
point, and opened a breach, through which cuirassiers 
and dragoons strove which should penetrate first. As 
a river, which has begun to break down a dike, soon 
carries it away entirely, so the masses of the squadrons, 
having once penetrated the infantry of the Russians, 
finished in a few moments the overthrow of their first 
line. The horse then dispersed to slaughter. A most 
horrible fray ensued between them and the Russian 
foot soldiers. They went, and came, and struck on all 
sides those obstinate antagonists. While the first line 
of infantry was thus overturned and cut in pieces, the 
second fell back to a wood that bounded the field of 
battle. A last reserve of artillery had been left there. 



EYLAU. . f 231 

The Russians placed it in battery, and fired confusedly 
at their own soldiers and at the French, not caring 
whether they slaughtered friends or foes, if they only 
got rid of the formidable horse. General cl'Hautpoul 
was mortally wounded by a rifle ball. While the cav- 
alry was thus engaged with the second line of the 
Russian infantry, some parties of the first rallied and 
renewed their fire. At this sight the horse grenadiers 
of the guard, headed by General Lepic, one of the heroes 
of the army, came forward in their turn to second Mu- 
rat's efforts. Dashing off at a gallop, they charged the 
groups of infantry which they perceived to be still on 
their legs, and crossing the ground in all directions, 
completed the destruction of the centre of the Russian 
army, the wrecks of which at last fled for refuge to the 
patches of wood which had served them for an asylum. 
During this scene of confusion, a fragment of that 
vast line of infantry had advanced to that same ceme- 
tery. Three or four thousand Russian grenadiers, 
marching straight forward with the blind courage of 
braver and more intelligent troops, came to throw them- 
selves on the church of Eylau, and threatened the 
cemetery occupied by the imperial staff. The foot 
guard, motionless till then, had endured the cannonade 
without firing a piece. With joy it beheld an occasion 
for fighting arrive. A battalion was called for; two 
disputed the honor of marching. The first in order, 
led by General Dorsenne, obtained the advantage of 
measuring its strength with the Russian grenadiers, 
went up to them without firing a shot, attacked them 
with the bayonet, and threw one upon another, while 



232 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

Murat dispatched against them two battalions of chas- 
seurs under General Bruyere. The Russian grenadiers, 
hemmed in between the bayonets of the grenadiers of 
the guard and the swords of the chasseurs, were 
almost all taken or killed, before the face of Napoleon, 
and only a few paces from him. 

This cavalry action, the most extraordinary perhaps 
of any in the great wars, had for its result to overthrow 
the centre of the Russians, and to drive it back to a 
considerable distance. It would have been requisite to 
have at hand a reserve of infantry, in order to com- 
plete the defeat of troops which, after being laid on 
the ground, rose again to fire. But Napoleon durst 
not venture to dispose of Marshal Soult's corps, reduced 
to half of its effective, and necessary for keeping Eylau. 
Augereau's corps was almost destroyed. 

Napoleon, in the cemetery, in which were heaped the 
bodies of a great number of his officers among the time- 
browned tombstones, was graver than usual; but his 
countenance was inflexible as ever, and no thought of 
retreat crossed his resolute soul. Crowds of his bravest 
veterans were lying mangled around him ; and the pros- 
pect of the field must have been gloomy, indeed. But 
his iron will did not bend ; he had confidence that the 
star of his fortune had not yet begun to descend. 

Marshal Davoust and General St. Hilaire justified 
the confidence of their chief, and not only maintained 
their own position against the enemy, but had even 
pushed detachments upon their rear. But the event 
which Napoleon dreaded had occurred. 

General Lestocq, perseveringly pursued by Marshal 



EYLAU. 233 

Ney, appeared on that field of carnage, with seven or 
eight thousand Prussians, eager to revenge themselves 
for the disdain of the Russians. General Lestocq, only 
an hour or two ahead of Marshal Ney's corps, had 
merely time to strike one blow before he was struck 
himself. He debouched upon the field of battle at 
Schmoditten, passed behind the double line of the 
Russians, now broken by the fire of the artillery, by 
the swords of the horse, and presented himself at Kus- 
chitten, in front of Friant's division, which, passing be- 
yond Klein-Sausgarten; had already driven back the 
left of the enemy upon its centre. The village of Kus- 
chitten was occupied by four companies of the 108th, 
and by the 51st, which had been detached from Mo- 
rand's division for the support of Friant's division. 
The Prussians, rallying the Russians around them, 
dashed impetuously on the 51st, and on the four com- 
panies of the 108th, without being able to break them, 
though they obliged them to fall back to a considerable 
distance, in rear of Kuschitten. The Prussians, after 
this first advantage, pushed on beyond Kuschitten, in 
order to recover the positions of the morning. They 
marched, deployed in two fines. The Russian reserves, 
being rallied, formed two close columns on their wings. 
A numerous artillery preceded them. In this manner 
they advanced across the rear of the field of battle, ix. 
regain the lost ground, and to beat back Marshal Da 
voust upon Klein-Sausgarten, and from Klein-Sausgar- 
ten to Serpallen. But Generals Friant and Gudis, 
having Marshal Davoust at their head, hastened up. 
Friant's entire division, and the 12th, 21st and 25tfc 

30 



234 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

regiments, belonging to Gudin's division, placed them- 
selves foremost, covered by the whole of the artillery 
of the third corps. To no purpose did the Russians 
and Prussians exert themselves to overcome the for- 
midable obstacle ; they were unsuccessful. The French, 
appuyed on woods, marshes and hillocks, here deployed 
in line, there dispersed as tirailleurs, opposed an invin- 
cible obstinacy to this last eff or t of the allies. Marshal 
Davoust, passing through the ranks till dark, kept up 
the firmness of his soldiers, saying, " Cowards will be 
sent to die in Siberia ; the brave will die here like men 
of honor." The Prussians and the rallied Russians de- 
sisted from the attack. Marshal Davoust remained firm 
in that position of Klein-Sausgarten, where he threat- 
ened the rear of the enemy. 

The two armies were exhausted. That day, so 
sombre, was every moment becoming more sombre 
still, and about to terminate in a tremendous night. 
More than thirty thousand Russians, struck by the 
balls and the swords of the French, strewed the ground,- 
some dead, others wounded more or less severely. 
Many of the soldiers began to abandon their . colors. 
General Bennigsen, surrounded by his lieutenants, was 
deliberating whether to resume the offensive, and try 
the effect of one more effort. But, out of an army of 
eighty thousand men, not more than forty thousand 
were left in a state to fight, the Prussians included. If 
he were worsted in this desperate engagement, he would 
not have wherewithal to cover his retreat. However, 
he was still hesitating, when intelligence was brought 
him of a last and important incident. Marshal Ney, 



EYLAU. 235 

who had closely followed the Prussians, arriving in the 
evening on the left, as Marshal Davoust had arrived in 
the morning on the right, debouched at length near 
Althof. 

Thus Napoleon s combinations, retarded by time, 
had, nevertheless, brought upon the two flanks of the 
Russian army the forces that were to decide the victory. 
The order for retreat could no longer be deferred ; for 
Marshal Davoust, having maintained himself at Klein- 
Sausgarten, would not have much to do to meet Marshal 
Ney, who had advanced to Schmoditten ; and the junc- 
tion of these two Marshals would have exposed the 
Russians to the risk of being enveloped. The order 
for retreating was instantly given by General Bennigsen; 
but, to insure- the retreat, he purposed to curb Marshal 
Ney, by attempting to take from him the village of 
Schmoditten. The Russians marched upon that village, 
under favor of the night, and in profound silence, in 
hopes of surprising the troops of Marshal Ney, who 
had arrived late on the field of battle, when it was diffi- 
cult to recognise one another. But the latter were on 
their guard. General Marchand, with the 6th light 
infantry, and the 39th of the line, allowing the Russians 
to approach, then receiving them with a point-blank 
fire, stopped them short. He then rushed upon them 
with the bayonet, and obliged them to renounce all 
serious attack. From that moment they definitely 
commenced their retreat. 

Napoleon knew that he was master of the field of 
battle. He occupied the slightly rising plain beyond 
Eylau, having his cavalry and his guard before him and 



236 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

at the centre, and his other corps in possession of the 
positions which the Russians had occupied in the 
morning. 

Certain of being victorious, but grieved to the bottom 
of his heart, the Emperor had remained amidst his 
troops, and ordered them to kindle fires, and not leave 
the ranks, even to go in quest of provisions. A small 
quantity of bread and brandy was distributed among the 
soldiers, and, though there was not enough for all, yet 
no complaints were heard. Less joyous than at Auster- 
litz and at Jena, they were full of confidence, proud of 
themselves, ready to renew that dreadful struggle, if 
the Russians had the courage and the strength to do so. 
Whoever had given them, at this moment, bread and 
brandy, which they were in want of, would have found 
them in as high spirits as usual. Two artillerymen of 
Marshal Davoust's corps having been absent from their 
company during this engagement, and arrived too late 
to be present at the battle, their comrades assembled 
in the evening at the bivouac, tried them, and not liking 
their reasons, inflicted upon them, on that frozen and 
blood-stained ground, the burlesque punishment which 
the soldiers call the savate. 

There was no great abundance of any thing but am- 
munition. The service of the artillery, performed with 
extraordinary activity, had already replaced the ammu- 
nition consumed. "With not less zeal was the service 
of the medical and surgical department performed. A 
great number of wounded had been picked up ; to the 
others relief was administered on the spot~ till they 
could be removed in their turn. Napoleon, overwhelmed 



EYLAU. 237 

with fatigue, was still afoot, and superintending the 
attentions that were paid to his soldiers. 

In the rear of the army, so firm a countenance was 
not every where presented. Many stragglers, excluded 
from the effective in the morning, in consequence of the 
marches, had heard the din of that tremendous battle, 
had caught some hourras of the Cossacks, and fallen 
back, circulating bad news along the roads. The brave 
collected to range themselves beside their comrades, the 
others dispersed in the various routes which the army 
had traversed. 

Daybreak next morning threw a light upon that 
frightful field of battle, and Napoleon himself was 
moved to such a degree as to betray his feelings in the 
bulletin which he published. On that icy plain, thou- 
sands of dead and dying, cruelly mangled, thousands of 
prostrate horses, an infinite quantity of dismounted 
cannon, broken carriages, scattered projectiles, burning 
hamlets, all this standing out from a ground of snotv, 
exhibited a thrilling and terrible spectacle. " This 
spectacle," exclaimed Napoleon, "is fit to excite in 
princes a love of peace and a horror of war !" 

This singularity struck all eyes. From a propensity 
for returning to the things of past times, and also from 
economy, an attempt had been made to introduce the 
white uniform again into the army. The experiment 
had been made with some regiments, but the sight of 
blood on the white dress decided the question. Napo- 
leon, filled with disgust and horror, declared that he 
would have none but blue uniforms, whatever might be 
the cost. 



238 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



The Russians had left upon the field, about seven 
thousand dead, and five thousand wounded, and they 
took with them fifteen thousand more wounded. They 
had consequently twenty-seven thousand men placed 
hors de combat. Besides this loss, four thousand prison- 
ers were made by the French, who also captured twenty- 
four pieces of cannon and sixteen colors. The loss of 
the French was about three thousand killed and four 
thousand wounded. Several eagles had been carried 
away by Bennigsen. It was a terrible, but indecisive 
battle. The victor was too much grieved to listen to 
the paeans of triumph, although his valor and skill had 
been nobly displayed in defeating a superior enemy. 





TOg 8MQIP-PQIB8 ATF PIBBSIDiyMBIID* 



FTER the bloody struggle of Eylau, in 
which thirty thousand men were 
placed hors de combat, the Rus- 
sians seemed desirous of avoid- 
ing a conflict until they had 
received large reinforcements. 
In the mean time, Napoleon 
P^ collected about two hundred 
thousand men between the Vistula, and the Memel, 
besieged and captured Dantzic, and was again in a con- 
dition to strike a tremendous blow at the inferior forces 
of the enemy. Early in June, 1807, the Russian 

(239) 




240 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

general, Bennigsen, made the first offensive movement. 
The division of Marshal Ney, stationed at Gustadt, 
was attacked by a superior force, and that intrepid 
officer retreated, fighting, as far as Deppen. Bat on 
the 8th of June, Napoleon moved forward to extricate 
his lieutenant, and the Russians then fell back upon 
Heilsberg. There a desperate action occurred, in 
which both armies suffered terribly. The Russians 
were compelled to retreat, but they retired unmolested. 
On the loth, Bennigsen approached the town of Fried- 
land, situated on the west bank of the Alle, communi- 
cating with the eastern bank by long wooden bridges. 
Here the decisive battle of the next day was fought. 

The course of the Alle, near the spot where the two 
armies were about to meet, exhibits numerous windings. 
The French came up by the woody hills, beyond which 
the ground gradually sinks to the banks of the Alle. 
The ground at this season was covered with rye of 
great height. To the right of the French, the river 
was seen pursuing its way through the plain, then turn- 
ing round Friedland, coming to the left, thus forming 
an elbow. At daybreak on the morning of the 14th ? 
Lannes, who commanded the advanced division of the 
French army, reached Posthenen, whence he could see 
the Russians marching across the bridges to deploy into 
the plain, and drawing up in a line of battle facing the 
heights. A rivulet, called the Mill Stream, there formed 
a small pond, after dividing the plain into two unequal 
halves. Bennigsen imagined that he had to contend 
with but one division of the French army, and, for the 
time, he had this advantage. But the whole force under 



FEIEDLAND. 241 

Napoleon's immediate command was coming up to sup- 
port the gallant Lannes, and by crossing the bridges, the 
Russian general fairly placed himself in the power of 
the Emperor. For this Napoleon had manoeuvred 
several days, and he now saw that the victory would 
be one of that complete, decisive kind he loved. 

Marshal Lannes, in his haste to march, had brought 
with him only Oudinot's voltigeurs and grenadiers, the 
9th hussars, Grouchy's dragoons, and two regiments of 
Saxon cavalry. He could not oppose more than ten 
thousand men to the enemy's advanced guard, which, 
successively reinforced, was treble that number, and 
was soon to be followed by the whole Russian army. 
Fortunately for the French, the soil afforded numerous 
resources to the skill and courage of their illustrious 
marshal. In the centre of the position which it was 
necessary to occupy, in order to bar the way against 
the Russians, was a village, that of Posthenen, through 
which ran the Mill Stream to pursue its course to 
Friedland. Somewhat in rear rose a plateau, from 
which the plain of the Alle might be battered. Lannes 
placed his artillery there, and several battalions of 
grenadiers to protect it. On the right, a thick wood, 
that of Sortlack, protruded in a salient, and divided 
into two the space comprised between the village of 
Posthenen and the banks of the Alle. There Lannes 
posted two battalions of voltigeurs, which, dispersed as 
tirailleurs, would be able to stop for a long time troops 
not numerous and not very resolute. The 9th hussars, 
Grouchy's dragoons, the Saxon cavalry, amounted to 
three thousand horse, ready to fall upon any column 

31 



242 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

which should attempt to penetrate that curtain of tirail- 
leurs. On the left of Posthenen, the line of woody 
heights extended, gradually lowering in the village of 
Heinrichsdorf, through which ran the high road from 
Friedland to Konigsberg. This point was of great im- 
portance, for the Russians, desirous to reach Konigs- 
berg, would, of course, obstinately dispute the road 
thither. Besides, this part of the field of battle being 
more open, was naturally more difficult to defend. 
Lannes, who had not yet troops sufficient to establish 
himself there, had placed on his left, taking advantage 
of the woods and heights, the rest of his battalions, 
thus approaching the houses of Heinrichsdorf without 
being able to occupy them. 

The fire, commenced at three in the morning, became 
all at once extremely brisk. The artillery, placed on 
the plateau of Posthenen, under the protection of Oudi- 
not's grenadiers, kept the Russians at a distance, and 
made considerable havoc among them. On the right, 
the voltigeurs, scattered on the skirt of the wood of 
Sortlack, stopped their infantry by an incessant tirailleur 
fire, and the Saxon horse, directed by General Grouchy, 
had made several unsuccessful charges against their 
cavalry. The Russians having become threatening 
towards Heinrichsdorf, General Grouchy, moving from 
the right to the left, galloped thither, to dispute with 
them the Konigsberg road, the important point for the 
possession of which torrents of blood were about to be 
spilt. 

Though, in these first moments, Marshal Lannes had 
but ten thousand men to oppose twenty-five or thirty 



FRIEDLAND. 243 

thousand, he maintained his ground, thanks to great 
skill and energy, and also to the able concurrence of 
General Oudinot, commanding the grenadiers, and of 
General Grouchy, commanding the cavalry. But the 
enemy reinforced hhnself from hour to hour, and Gene- 
ral Bennigsen, on arriving at Friedland, had suddenly 
formed the resolution to give battle — a very rash reso- 
lution, for it would have been much wiser for him to 
have continued to descend the Alle to the junction of 
that river with the Pregel, and to take a position 
behind the latter, with his left to Wehlau, his right to 
Konigsburg. It would have taken him, it is true, 
another day to reach Konigsberg ; but he would not 
have risked a battle against an army superior in num- 
ber, in quality, better officered, and in a very unfavora- 
ble situation for him, since he had a river at his back, 
and he was very likely to be pushed into the elbow of 
the Alle, with all that vigor of impulsion of which the 
French army was capable. 

He lost no time in having three bridges thrown over 
the Alle, one above and two below Friedland, in order 
to accelerate the passage of his troops, and also to 
furnish them with means of retreat. He lined with 
artillery the right bank, by which he arrived, and 
which commanded the left bank. Then, nearly his 
whole army having debouched, he disposed it in the 
following manner : — In the plain around Heinrichsdorf, 
on the right for him, on the left for the French, he 
placed four divisions of infantry, under Lieutenant- 
General Gortschakoff, and the better part of the cavalry 
under General Ouwarroff. The infantry was formed in 



244 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

two lines. In the first were two battalions of each regi- 
ment deployed, and a third drawn up in close column 
behind the two others, closing the interval which 
separated them. In the second, the field of battle gra- 
dually narrowing the further it extended into the angle 
of the Alle, a single battalion was deployed and two 
were formed in close column. The cavalry, ranged on 
the side and a little in advance, flanked the infantry. 
On the left (the right of the French,) two Russian divi- 
sions, of which the imperial guard formed part, increased 
by all the detachments of chasseurs, occupied the por- 
tion of the ground comprised between the Mill Stream 
and the Alle. They were drawn up in two lines, but 
very near each other, on account of the want of room. 
Prince Bagration commanded them. The cavalry of 
the guard was there, under General Kollogribow. Four 
flying bridges had been thrown across the Mill Stream, 
that it might interrupt the communications between 
the two wings as little as possible. The fourth Rus- 
sian division had been left on the other side of the 
Alle, on the ground commanding the left bank, to col- 
lect the army in case of disaster or to come and decide 
the victory, if it obtained any commencement of suc- 
cess. The Russians had more than two hundred pieces 
of cannon upon their front, besides those which were 
either in reserve or in battery on the right bank. 
Their army, reduced to eighty or eighty-two thousand 
men after Heilsberg, separated at this time from 
Kamenski's corps and from some detachments sent to 
Wehlau to guard the bridges of the Alle, still amounted 
to seventy-two or seventy-five thousand men. General 



FEIEDLAND. 245 

Bennigsen caused the mass of the Russian army to be 
moved forward in the order just described, so that, on 
getting out of the elbow of the Alle, it might deploy, 
extend its fires, and avail itself of the advantages of 
number which it possessed at the beginning of the 
battle. 

The situation of Lannes was perilous, for he had the 
whole Russian army upon his hands. Fortunately, the 
time which had elapsed had procured him some rein- 
forcements. General Nansouty's division of heavy 
cavalry, composed of three thousand five hundred cui- 
rassiers and carbineers, Dupas's division, which was 
the first of Mortier's corps, and numbered six thousand 
foot soldiers, lastly, Verdier's division, which contained 
seven thousand, and was the second of Lannes's corps, 
marched off successively, had come with all possible 
expedition. It was a force of twenty-six or twenty- 
seven thousand men, to fight seventy-five thousand. 
It was seven in the morning, and the Russians, preceded 
by a swarm of Cossacks, advanced towards Heinrichs- 
dorf, where they already had infantry and cannon. 
Lannes, appreciating the importance of that post, sent 
thither the brigade of Albert's grenadiers, and ordered 
General Grouchy to secure possession of it at any cost. 
General Grouchy, who had been reinforced by the cui- 
rassiers, proceeded immediately to the village. With- 
out stopping to consider the difficulty, he dispatched 
the brigade of Milet's dragoons to attack Heinrichsdorf, 
while Carrie's brigade turned the village, and the cui- 
rassiers marched to support this movement. Milet's 
brigade passed through Heinrichsdorf at a gallop, drove 



246 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 



• 



out the Russian foot-soldiers at the point of the sword, 
while Carrie's brigade, going round it, took or dispersed 
those who had saved themselves by flight. Four pieces 
of cannon were taken. At this moment, the enemy's 
cavalry, coming to the assistance of the infantry, expel- 
led from Heinrichsdorf, rushed upon the dragoons and 
drove them back. But Nansouty's cuirassiers charged 
it in their turn, and threw it upon the Russian infantry, 
which in this fray was obliged to withhold its fire. 

During these occurrences, Dupas's division entered 
into line. Marshal Mortier, whose horse was killed by 
a cannon-ball, the moment he appeared on the field of 
battle, placed that division between Heinrichsdorf and 
Posthenen, and opened on the Russians a fire of artil- 
lery which, poured upon deep masses, made prodigious 
havoc in their ranks. The arrival of Dupas's division 
rendered disposable those battalions of grenadiers 
which had at first been drawn up to the left of Posthe- 
nen. Lannes drew them nearer to him, and could oppose 
their closer ranks to the attacks of the Russians, either 
before Posthenen or before the wood of Sortlack. Gene- 
ral Oudinot, who commanded them, taking advantage of 
all the accidents of ground, sometimes from clumps of 
wood scattered here and there, sometimes from pools 
of water, produced by the rains of the preceding days, 
sometimes from above the corn, disputed the ground 
with equal skill and energy. By turns he hid or ex- 
hibited his soldiers, dispersed them as tirailleurs, or 
exposed them in a mass, bristling with bayonets, to all 
the efforts of the Russians. Those brave grenadiers, 
notwithstanding their inferiority in number, kept up the 



FMEDLAND. 247 

fight, supported by their general, when, luckily for them, 
Verdier's division arrived. Marshal Lannes divided it 
into two movable columns, to be sent alternately to the 
right, to the centre, to the left, wherever the danger 
was most pressing. It was the skirt of the wood of 
Sortlack and the village of the same name, situated on 
the Alle, that were the most furiously disputed. In 
the end, the French remained masters of the village, 
the Russians of the skirts of the wood. 

Lannes was enabled to prolong till noon this conflict 
of twenty-six thousand men against seventy-five thou- 
sand. But it was high time for Napoleon to arrive 
with the rest of his army. Lannes, anxious to apprize 
him of what was passing, had sent to him almost all 
his aides-de-camp, one after another, ordering them to 
get back to him without loss of time, if they killed 
their horses. They found him coming at a gallop to 
Friedland, and full of a joy that was expressed in his 
countenance. " This is the 14th of June," he repeated 
to those whom he met; "it is the anniversary of 
Marengo ; it is a lucky day for us !" Napoleon, out- 
stripping his troops through the speed of his horse, 
had successively passed the long files of the guard, of 
Ney's corps, of Bernadotte's corps, all marching for 
Posthenen. He had saluted in passing, Dupont's fine 
division, which from Ulm to Braunsberg, had never 
ceased to distinguish itself, though never in his pre- 
sence, and he had declared that it would give him great 
pleasure to see it fight for once. 

The presence of Napoleon at Posthenen fired his 
soldiers and his generals with fresh ardor. Lannes, 



248 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Mortier, Oudinot, who had been there since morning, 
and Ney, who had just arrived, surrounded him with 
the most lively joy. The brave Oudinot hastening up 
with his coat perforated by balls, and his horse covered 
with blood, exclaimed to the Emperor : " Make haste, 
Sire, my grenadiers are knocked up ; but, give me a 
reinforcement, and I will drive all the Russians into the 
water." Napoleon, surveying with his glass the plain, 
where the Russians, backed in the elbow of the Alle, 
were endeavoring in vain to deploy, soon appreciated 
their perilous situation and the unique occasion offered 
him by Fortune, swayed, it must be confessed, by his 
genius ; for the fault which the Russian army were 
committing had been inspired, as it were, by him, when 
he pushed them from the other side of the Alle, and 
thus forced them to pass in before him, in going to the 
relief of Konigsberg. The day was far advanced, and 
it would take several hours to collect all the French 
troops. Some of Napoleon's lieutenants were, there- 
fore, of opinion that they ought to defer fighting a 
decisive battle till the morrow. " No, no," replied Na- 
poleon, "one does not catch an enemy twice in such a 
scrape." He immediately made his dispositions for the 
attack. They were worthy of his marvellous perspi- 
cacity. 

To drive the Russians into the Alle was the 'aim 
which every individual, down to the meanest soldier, 
assigned to the battle. But how to set about it, how 
to ensure that result, and how to render it as great "as 
possible, was the question. At the farthest extremity 
of the elbow of the Alle, in which the Russian army 



FRIEDLAKD. 249 

was engulphed, there was a decisive point to occupy, 
namely, the little point of Friedland itself, situated on 
the right, between the Mill Stream and the Alle. There 
were the four bridges, the sole retreat of the Russian 
army, and Napoleon purposed to direct his utmost 
efforts against that point. He destined for Ney's corps 
the difficult and glorious task of plunging into that 
gulf, of carrying Friedland at any cost, in spite of the 
desperate resistance which it would not fail to make, of 
wresting the bridges from them, and thus barring against 
them the only way of safety. But at the same time 
he resolved, while acting vigorously on his right, to 
suspend all efforts on his left, to amuse the Russian 
army on that side with a feigned fight, and not to push 
it briskly on the left till, the bridges being taken on the 
right, he should be sure, by pushing it, to fling it into a 
receptacle without an outlet. 

Surrounded by his lieutenants, he explained to them, 
with that energy and that precision of language which 
were usual with him, the part which each of them had 
to act in that battle. Grasping the arm of Marshal 
Ney, and pointing to Friedland, the bridges, the Rus- 
sians crowded together in front, " Yonder is the goal," 
said he ; " march to it without looking about you : 
break into that thick mass whatever it costs you ; enter 
Friedland, take the bridges, and give yourself no con- 
cern about what may happen on your right, on your 
left, or on your rear. The army and I shall be there 
to attend to that." Ney, boiling with ardor, proud of 
the formidable task assigned to him, set out at a gallop 
to arrange his troops before the wood of Sortlack. 

32 



250 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Struck with his martial attitude. Napoleon, addressing 
Marshal Mortier, said, " That man is a lion !" 

On the same ground, Napoleon had his dispositions 
writtten down from his dictation, that each of his 
generals might have them bodily present to his mind, 
and not be liable to deviate from them. He ranged, 
then, Marshal Ney's corps on the right, so that Lannes, 
bringing back Verdier's division upon Posthenen, could 
present two strong lines with that and the grenadiers. 
He placed Bernadotte's corps (temporarily Victor's) 
between Ney and Lannes, a little in advance of Posthe- 
nen, and partly hidden by the inequalities of the 
ground. Dupont's fine division formed the head of 
this corps. On the plateau, behind Posthenen, Napo- 
leon established the imperial guard, the infantry in 
three close columns, the cavalry in two lines. Between 
Posthenen and Henrichsdorf was the corps of Marshal 
Mortier, posted as in the morning, but more concen- 
trated and augmented by the young fusiliers of the 
imperial guard. A battalion of the 4th light infantry, 
and the regiment of the municipal guard of Paris, had 
taken the place of the grenadiers of the Albert bri- 
gade in Heinrichsdorf. Dumbrowski's Polish division 
had joined Dupas's division, and guarded the artillery. 
Napoleon left to General Grouchy the duty of which 
he had already so ably acquitted himself, that of defend- 
ing the plain of Heinrichsdorf. To the dragoons and 
the cuirassiers commanded by that gerieral he added 
the light cavalry of Generals Beaumont and Colbert, to 
assist him to rid himself of the Cossacks/ Lastly, 
having two more divisions of dragoons to dispose of, 



FRIEDLAND. 251 

he placed that of General Latour Maubourg, reinforced 
by the Dutch cuirassiers, behind the corps of Marshal 
Ney, and that of General La Houssaye, reinforced by 
the Saxon cuirassiers, behind Victor's corps. The 
French in this imposing order amounted to no fewer 
than eighty thousand men. The order was repeated to 
the left not to advance, but merely to keep back the 
Russians till the success of the right was decided. Na- 
poleon required that before the troops recommenced 
firing, they should wait for the signal from a battery of 
twenty pieces of cannon placed above Posthenen. 

The Russian general, struck by this deployment, dis- 
covered the mistake which he had committed in sup- 
posing that he had to do with but the single corps of 
Marshal Lannes ; he was surprised, and naturally hesi- 
tated. His hesitation had produced a sort of slackening 
in the action. Scarcely did occasional discharges of 
artillery indicate the continuance of the battle. Napo- 
leon, who desired that all his troops should have got 
into line, rested for at least an hour, and being abun- 
dantly supplied with ammunition, was in no hurry to 
begin, and resisted the impatience of his generals, well 
knowing that, at this season, in this country, it was light 
till ten in the evening, he should have time to subject 
the Russian army to the disaster that he was preparing 
for it. At length, the fit moment appeared to him to 
have arrived, he gave the signal. The twenty pieces 
of cannon of the battery of Posthenen fired at once ; 
the artillery of the army answered them along the 
whole line; and at this impatiently awaited signal, 
Marshal Ney moved off his corps d'armee. 



252 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

From the wood of Sortlack issued Marchand's 
division, advancing the first to the right, Bisson's 
division the second to the left. Both were preceded by 
a storm of tirailleurs, who, as they approached the 
enemy, fell back and returned into the ranks. These 
troops marched resolutely up to the Russians, and took 
from them the village of Sortlack, so long disputed. 
Their cavalry, in order to stop the offensive movement, 
made a charge on Marchand's division. But Latour 
Maubourg's dragoons and the Dutch cuirassiers, passing 
through the intervals of the battalions, charged that 
cavalry in their turn, drove it back upon its infantry, 
and, pushing the Russians against the Alle, precipitated 
a great number into the deeply embanked bed of that 
river. Some saved themselves by swimming; many 
were drowned. His right once appuyed on the Alle, 
Marshal Ney slackened his march, and pushed forward 
his left, formed by Bisson's division, in such a manner 
as to thrust back the Russians into the narrow space 
comprised between the Mill Stream and the Alle: 
When arrived at this point, the fire of the enemy's 
artillery redoubled. The French had to sustain not 
only the fire of the batteries in front, but also the fire 
of those on the right bank of the Alle ;. and it was 
impossible to get rid of the latter by taking them, as 
they were separated from them by the deep bed of the 
river. The columns, battered at once in front and 
flank by the balls, endured with admirable coolness 
this terrible convergence of fires. Marshal Ney, gal- 
loping from one end of the line to the other, kept up 
the courage of his soldiers by his heroic bearing. 



FRIEDLAND. 253 

Meanwhile, whole files were swept away, and the fire 
became so severe that the very bravest of the troops 
could no longer endure it. At this sight, the cavalry 
of the Russian guard, commanded by General Kollog- 
ribow, dashed off at a gallop, to try to throw into dis- 
order the infantry of Bisson's division, which appeared 
to waver. Staggered for the first time, that valiant 
infantry gave ground, and two or three battalions threw 
themselves in rear. General Bisson, who, from his 
stature, overlooked the lines of his soldiers, strove in 
vain to detain them. They retired, grouping them- 
selves around their officers. The situation soon became 
most critical. Luckily, General Dupont, placed at some 
distance on the left of Ney's corps, perceived this com- 
mencement of disorder, and without waiting for direc- 
tions to march, moved off his division, passing in front 
of it, reminding it of Ulm, Dirnstein and Halle, and 
taking it to encounter the Russians. It advanced, 
in the finest attitude, under the fire of that tremen- 
dous artillery, while Latour Maubourg's dragoons, re- 
turning to the charge, fell upon the Russian cavalry, 
which had scattered in pursuit of the foot soldiers, and 
succeeded in the attempt to drive it back. Dupont's 
division, continuing its movement on that open ground, 
and, supporting its left on the Mill Stream, brought 
the Russian infantry at a stand. By its presence it 
filled Ney's soldiers with confidence and joy. Bisson's 
battalions formed anew, and the whole line, re-invigo- 
rated, began to march forward again. It was necessary to 
reply to the formidable artillery of the enemy, and 
Ney's artillery was so very inferior in number, that it 



254 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

could scarcely stand in battery before that of the Rus- 
sians. Napoleon ordered General Victor to collect all 
the guns of his division, and to range them in mass on 
the front of Ney. The skilful and intrepid General 
Senarmont commanded that artillery. He moved it off 
at full trot, joined it to that of Marshal Ney, took it 
some hundred paces ahead of the infantry, and, daringly 
placing himself in front of the Russians, opened upon 
them a fire, terrible from the number of the pieces and 
the accuracy of aim. Directing one of his batteries 
against the right bank, he soon silenced those which the 
enemy had on that side. Then, pushing forward his 
line of artillery, he gradually approached to within 
grape-shot range, and, firing upon the deep masses, 
crowding together as they fell back into the elbow of 
the Alle, he made frightful havoc among them. The 
line of infantry followed this movement, and advanced 
under the protection of General Senarmont's numerous 
guns. The Russians, thrust further and further back 
into this gulf, felt a sort of despair, and made an effort 
to extricate themselves. Their imperial guard, placed 
upon the Mill Stream, issued from that retreat, and 
marched, with bayonet fixed, upon Dupont's division, 
also placed along the rivulet. The latter, without 
waiting for the imperial guard, went to meet it, repulsed 
it with the bayonet, and forced it back to the ravine. 
Thus driven, some of the Russians threw themselves 
beyond the ravine, the others upon the siiburbs of Fried- 
land. General Dupont, with part of his division, crossed 
the Mill Stream, drove before him all that he met, found 
himself on the rear of the right wing of the Russians 



FRIEDLAND. 255 

engaged with the left in the plain of Heinrichsdorf, 
turned Friedland, and attacked it by the Konigsberg 
road ; while Ney, continuing to march straight forward, 
entered by the Eylau road. A terrible conflict ensued 
at the gates of the town. The assailants pressed the 
Russians in all quarters ; they forced their way into the 
street in pursuit of them ; they drove them upon the 
bridges of the Alle, which General Senarmont's artillery, 
left outside, enfiladed with its shot. The Russians 
crowded upon the bridges to seek refuge in the ranks of 
the fourteenth division, left, in reserve, on the other 
side of the Alle, by General Bennigsen. That unfor- 
tunate general, full of grief, had hurried to this division, 
with the intention of taking it to the bank of the river 
to the assistance of his endangered army. Scarcely 
had some wrecks of his left wing passed the bridges, 
when those bridges were destroyed — set on fire by the 
French, and, by the Russians themselves, in their anx- 
iety to stop pursuit. Ney and Dupont, having per- 
formed their task, met in the heart of Friedland in 
flames, and congratulated one another on this glorious 
success. 

Napoleon, placed in the centre of the divisions which 
he kept in reserve, had never ceased to watch this 
grand sight. "While he was contemplating it attentively, 
a ball passed at the height of the bayonets, and a soldier, 
from an instinctive movement, stooped his head. " If 
that ball was intended for you," said Napoleon, smiling, 
" though you were to burrow a hundred feet under 
ground, it would be sure to find you there." Thus he 
wished to give currency to that useful belief that Fate 



256 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

strikes the brave and the coward without distinction, 
and that the coward who seeks a hiding-place disgraces 
himself to no purpose. 

On seeing that Friedland was occupied and the bridges 
of the Alle destroyed, Napoleon at length pushed for- 
ward his left upon the right wing of the Russian army, 
deprived of all means of retreat, and having behind it 
a river without bridges. General Gortschakoff, who 
commanded that wing, perceived the danger with which 
he was threatened, and, thinking to dispel the storm, 
made an attack on the French line, extending from 
Posthenen to Heinrichsdorf, formed by the corps of 
Marshal Lannes, by that of Mortier, and by General 
Grouchy's cavalry. But Lannes, with his grenadiers, 
made head against the Russians. Marshal Mortier, 
with the 15th and the fusiliers of the guard, opposed 
to them an iron barrier. Mortier's artillery, in par- 
ticular, directed by Colonel Balbois and an excellent 
Dutch officer, M. Yanbriennen, made incalculable havoc 
among them. At length, Napoleon, anxious to take 
advantage of the rest of the day, carried forward his 
whole line. Infantry, cavalry, artillery, started all at 
once. General Gortschakoff, while he found himself 
thus pressed, was informed that Friedland was in 
the possession of the French. In hopes of retaking 
it, he dispatched a column of infantry to the gates of 
the town. That column penetrated into it, and for a 
moment drove back Dupont's and Ney's soldiers ; but 
these repulsed in their turn the Russian column. A 
new fight took place in that unfortunate town, -and the 
possession of it was disputed by the light of the 



FRIEDLAND. 257 

flames that were consuming it. The French finally 
remained masters, and drove GortschakofF 's corps into 
that plain without thoroughfare which had served it for 
field of battle. GortschakofTs infantry defended itself 
with intrepidity, and threw itself into the Alle rather 
than surrender. Part of the Russian soldiers were 
fortunate enough to find fordable passages, and con- 
trived to escape. Another drowned itself in the river. 
The whole of the artillery was captured. A column, 
the furthest on the right (right of the Russians) fled and 
descended the Alle, under General Lambert, with a 
portion of the cavalry. The darkness of the night and 
the disorder of victory facilitated its retreat, and ena- 
bled it to escape. 

It was half-past ten at night. The victory was com- 
plete on the right and on the left. Napoleon, in his 
vast career, had not gained a more splendid one. He 
had for trophies eighty pieces of cannon, few prisoners, 
it is true, for the Russians chose rather to drown them- 
selves, than to surrender, but twenty-five thousand men, 
killed, wounded, or drowned, covered with their bodies 
both banks of the Alle. The right bank, to which 
great numbers of them had dragged themselves, exhib- 
ited almost as frightful a scene of carnage as the left 
bank. Several columns of fire, rising from Friedland 
and the neighboring villages, threw a sinister light 
over that place, a theatre of anguish for some, of joy 
for others. The French had to regret upwards of 
eight thousand men, killed or wounded. The Russian 
army, deprived of twenty-five thousand combatants, 
weakened, moreover, by a great number of men who had 

33 



258 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

lost their way, was thenceforward incapable of keeping 
the field. 

The French Emperor slept near the camp-fire, 
surrounded by his soldiers, who continued to shout 
" Vive VEmpereur!" They had eaten nothing but a 
ration of bread, which they had carried in their knap- 
sacks, during their hurried march. But their souls had 
drunk deeply of the intoxicating nectar of glory, and 
they felt not the pang of hunger. The night was 
clear and beautiful. The Russians were not pursued. 
If Napoleon had had his entire cavalry, with Murat at 
their head, he could have captured the whole force 
which, under command of General Lambert, descended 
the Alle. But only half the cavalry were with the 
army, and the Russians were left to escape as speedily 
as possible. 

Friedland was a decisive field. Konigsberg sur- 
rendered soon afterwards ; and the Russians were pur- 
sued till they took refuge beyond the Niemen. Here 
ended that daring march of the French Emperor — the 
new Alexander — from Boulogne to the Niemen, to 
crush the only power which could offer any effectual 
resistance to his arms. In the transport of triumph, 
the Emperor issued the following noble proclamation to 
his soldiers : 

Soldiers — On the 5th of June we were attacked in 
our cantonments by the Russian army. The enemy 
had mistaken the causes of our inactivity. He per- 
ceived too late that our repose was that of the Hon : he 
repents of having disturbed it. 



FRIEDLAND. 259 

" In the battles of Guttstadt and Heilsberg, and in 
that ever memorable one of Friedland, in a campaign of 
ten days ; in short, we have taken one hundred and 
twenty pieces of cannon, seven colors, killed, wounded, 
or made prisoners, sixty thousand Russians, taken from 
the enemy's army all its magazines, its hospitals, its 
ambulances, the fortress of Konigsberg, the three hundred 
vessels which were in that port, laden with all kinds of 
military stores, one hundred and sixty thousand mus- 
kets which England was sending to arm our enemies. 

" From the banks of the Vistula, we have come with 
the speed of the eagle to those of the Niemen. You 
celebrated at Austerlitz the anniversary of the corona- 
tion ; this year you have worthily celebrated that of 
the battle of Marengo, which put an end to the war of 
the second coalition. 

" Frenchmen, you have been worthy of yourselves 
and of me. You will return to France covered with 
laurels, and, after obtaining a glorious peace, which car- 
ries with it the guarantee of its duration. It is high 
time for our country to live in quiet, screened from the 
malignant influence of England. My bounties shall 
prove to you my gratitude, and the full extent of the 
love I feel for you." 

Then followed the interview of Napoleon and Alex- 
ander upon the Niemen, and the treaty of Tilsit, by 
which the two emperors parcelled out Europe as if it 
were their own. The star of Napoleon had reached its 
zenith, and truly its lustre dazzled the eyes of the 
world. 




TBI 8MB1P-PQIBK ATF {ffli\®IEO[D< 



^|HE war of the Peninsula and 
the invasion of Russia were 
the great sources of Napoleon's 
overthrow. Having summa- 
rily dethroned Ferdinand VII. 
of Spain, he placed the crown 
of that kingdom upon the head 
of his elder brother Joseph. 
But the Spaniards resisted 
this transfer from Bourbon to 
Bonaparte, and having taken the field, with enthusi- 
(260) 




MADRID. 261 

asm, they defeated and captured a French army, com- 
manded by General Dupont, and drove King Joseph 
beyond the Ebro. Napoleon then left Paris, (October, 
1808,) and placed himself at the head of two hundred 
thousand men, to crush all opposition in Spain. 

In the meantime, the Spaniards had vested the man- 
agement of their affairs in a central or supreme junta, 
stationed at their recovered capital of Madrid. The 
determined spirit of opposition to French interference 
continued as strong as ever ; but the power to act in 
concert, or maintain well directed efforts in a common 
cause, already appeared doubtful. The Supreme Junta 
found it difficult, sometimes impossible, to enforce obe- 
dience on their generals ; and the provincial juntas 
were too apt to act independently, and assert their own 
right to separate command. The English government, 
at the same time, though promising aid, and making 
large preparations to afford it, yet continually procras- 
tinated; and when Napoleon invaded the country, the 
native forces alone were in the field. Three armies had 
been formed, all intended to co-operate, and amounting 
to about one hundred thousand men, but, unfortunately, 
all under independent generals. Blake commanded 
the army on the western frontier, which extended from 
Burgos to Bilbao. General Romana, who commanded 
one of the auxiliary divisions of Spanish soldiers in 
the French service, had dexterously contrived to escape 
from the Island of Funen, and had been landed in 
Spain, with ten thousand men, by British ships. His 
corps was attached to that of General Blake. The 
head-quarters of the central army under Castanos, were 



262 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

at Soria ; those on the eastern side, under Palafox, 
extended between Saragossa and Sanguesa. The Spa- 
nish armies were therefore arranged in the form of a 
long and weak crescent, the horns of which advanced 
towards France. The fortresses in the north of Spain, 
were all in the possession of the French, and strongly 
garrisoned. 

Napoleon was at Bayonne on the 3d of November, 
and by the 8th, he had directed the movements of the 
last columns of his advancing army across the fron- 
tier : on the same evening, he arrived at Vittoria, 
where Joseph held his court. The civil and military 
authorities met him at the gates, and prepared to con- 
duct him with pomp to the house prepared for his 
reception ; but he leaped off his horse, entered the first 
inn he observed, and called for maps and detailed 
reports of the position of the armies. In two hours, he 
had arranged the plan of the campaign ; and by day- 
break on the 9 th, Soult took the command of Bes- 
sieres's corps, and began to push forward his columns 
upon the plains of Burgos, against an auxiliary corps, 
under the Count de Belvidere, designed to support the 
right flank of Blake's army. Belvidere was completely 
defeated at Gomenal ; one of his battalions, composed 
entirely of students from Salamanca and Leon, refused 
to fly, and fell in their ranks. Blake was then routed 
at Espinosa, by General Victor, and again at Reynosa, 
by Soult, whence the wreck of his f army fled in dis- 
order, and took refuge in Santander. Nearly the whole 
of Romana's corps perished in the cliffs of Espinosa, 
after the batttle. Palafox and Castanos had, mean 



MADRID. 263 

time, united their forces, and waited the attack of the 
French under Lannes, at Tudela, on the 22d of No- 
vember. The Spaniards were on this occasion, also, 
utterly defeated, with the loss of four thousand killed, 
and three thousand prisoners. Castanos fled, after the 
action, in the direction of Calatayud ; and Palafox once 
more threw himself and the remains of his troops into 
Saragossa, where he was immediately invested closely 
by Lannes. 

The road to Madrid was now open to Napoleon. He 
advanced at the head of his guards and the first division 
of the army, and reached the strong pass of the Somo- 
si.erra Chain, about ten miles distant from the city, on 
the 30th of November. The way lies through a very 
steep and narrow defile, and twelve thousand men, 
with sixteen pieces of cannon, which completely swept 
the road, were strongly posted to dispute his passage. 
On the 1st of December, the French began the attack 
at daybreak, with an attempt to turn the flanks of the 
Spaniards. Napoleon rode into the mouth of the pass, 
and surveyed the scene. His infantry were straggling 
along the sides of the defiles, and making no efficient 
progress; but the smoke of the sharp skirmishing 
fire, mingling with the morning fog, was curling up the 
rocks, and almost hid the combatants from view. Under 
this veil, he ordered the Polish lancers of the guard to 
charge up the road in face of the artillery. They 
obeyed with impetuous courage. The Spanish infantry, 
panic struck, fired, threw down their arms, and fled : 
the Poles dashing onward, seized the cannon in an 
instant. The whole of the Spanish force fled. 



264 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

On the 2d of December, the French soldiers cele- 
brated the anniversary of the coronation of King Joseph 
under the walls of Madrid. The city had been pre- 
pared for defence. A strong, but irregular force were 
in array within the gates. The pavement had been taken 
up to form barricades ; the houses on the out-skirts loop- 
holed ; and a spirit of desperate resolution, similar to 
that which had immortalized the people of Saragossa. 
was displayed. The French officer sent to summon 
the town, narrowly escaped being torn to pieces by the 
mob. The Emperor then made his dispositions for 
attack, and long after the camp-fires of his troops had 
encircled Madrid with flame, and scared the darkness 
of the night, the work of investure proceeded. The 
French were in high spirits. Their invincible Emperor 
was with them, and they had the greatest contempt for 
the Spaniards. About midnight, Napoleon again sum- 
moned the city to surrender ; but an answer of defiance 
was returned; and then, dispositions were made for 
storming. There was but little sleep that night among 
besieged or besiegers. The clangor of arms, "the dread- 
ful note of preparation," resounded on the air until the 
dawn, when the Emperor was on horseback to direct 
operations. The Retiro and the palace of the Duke of 
Medina Celi were stormed, and as terror began to fill 
the breasts of the citizens, Napoleon again summoned 
the authorities to surrender. The governor came out 
to the French, and said he desired a suspension of arms, 
but was afraid of openly talking of surrender. Napo- 
leon, wishing to avert the horrors of assault, gave a 
little longer time to the distracted city, whence there 



MADRID. 



265 



issued, throughout the night, "a sound," says Napier, 
with vivid force, "as if some mighty beast was strug- 
gling and howling in the toils." At eight or nine in the 
morning of the 4th of December, the gates were opened 
•to the conqueror, and the French took possession of 
Madrid. 

Joseph was now restored to his authority in the capi- 
tal. Corunna followed, and the English were driven 
out of Spain. Napoleon then returned to Paris. But 
the subjection of the Spaniards was not complete, and 
was destined never to be completed by his arms. His 
ablest lieutenants, although successful for a time, were 
at length overthrown by the British and Spaniards, 
under Wellington, and the contest proved but an ex- 
hausting struggle, in which were developed the influences 
which brought the imperial throne to the dust. 





TO! SMflP-IPIIIBB AT IBATFIIglBtDEL 



APOLEON could never trust his 
allies. Completely beaten, 
they submitted to the conque- 
ror; and yet they hated as 
deeply as they feared him, and 
therefore took advantage of 
every opportunity to rupture 
the peace of Europe, and at- 
tack his power. No wonder that he lost patience, and 
treated their representations, when humbled, with con- 
tempt. These old legitimates proved themselves as 
false as they were imbecile, and they deserved the 
(266) 




RATISBON. 267 

contempt of a man who was an Emperor by nature. 
After the peace of Tilset, Napoleon turned his atten- 
tion to Spanish affairs, and placed his brother Joseph 
upon the throne of Spain. The Spaniards immediately 
took up arms to restore Ferdinand VII. to the crown 
of his ancestors, although they had long suffered from 
the misrule of the Bourbons. They resisted the armies 
of France, and being aided by the English, threatened 
the invaders with a terrible overthrow. This spectacle 
caused the faithless house of Austria to break all its 
engagements. Once more the Austrian Emperor re- 
solved to make an effort to destroy the dominion of 
Napoleon. He collected an army of one hundred and 
fifty thousand men, which was placed under the com- 
mand of the brave and skilful Archduke Charles. 

Napoleon collected an army much inferior in number 
to that of the enemy, and with his usual rapidity 
advanced to the attack. The Empress Josephine ac- 
companied him as far as Strasburg, and there watched 
the event of the campaign, although its termination 
was destined to be so melancholy for herself. 

The Archduke Charles's plan was to act upon the 
offensive. His talents were undoubted, his army greatly 
superior in numbers to the French, and favorably 
disposed, whether for attack or defence ; yet, by a series 
of combinations, the most beautiful and striking, per- 
haps, which occur in the life of one so famed for his 
power of forming such, Buonaparte was enabled, in the 
short space of five days, totally to defeat the formidable 
masses which were opposed to him. Napoleon found 
his own force unfavorably disposed, on a long line, ex- 



268 CAMP-FIEES OF NAPOLEON. 

tending between the towns of Augsburg and Ratisbon, 
and presenting, through the incapacity, it is said, of 
Berthier, an alarming vacancy in the centre, by ope- 
rating on which the enemy might have separated the 
French army into two parts, and exposed each to a 
flank attack. Sensible of the full, and perhaps fatal 
consequences, which might attend this error, Napoleon 
determined on the daring attempt to concentrate his 
army by a lateral march, to be accomplished by the two 
wings simultaneously. With this view he posted him- 
self in the centre, where the danger was principally 
apprehended, commanding Massena to advance by a 
flank movement from Augsburg to Pfaffenhoffen, and 
Davoust to approach the centre by a similar manoeuvre 
from Ratisbon to Neustadt. These marches must neces- 
sarily be forced, that of Davoust, being eight, that of 
Massena between twelve and thirteen leagues. The 
order for this daring operation was sent to Massena on 
the night of the 17th, and concluded with an earnest 
recommendation of speed and intelligence. When the 
time for executing these movements had been allowed, 
Bonaparte, at the head of the centre of his forces, 
made a sudden and desperate assault upon two Aus- 
trian divisions, commanded by the Archduke Louis 
and General Hiller. So judiciously was this timed, 
that the appearance of Davoust on tfye one flank 
kept in check those other Austrian corps d'armee, by 
whom the divisions attacked ought to have been sup- 
ported; while the yet more formidable operations of 
Massena, in the rear of the Archduke Louis, achieved 
the defeat of the enemy. The victory, gained at Abens- 



L 



KATISBON. 271 

berg, upon the 20th of April, broke the line of the 
Austrians, and exposed them to farther misfortunes. 
The Emperor attacked the fugitives the next day at 
Landshut, where the Austrians lost thirty pieces of 
cannon, nine thousand prisoners, and much ammunition 
and baggage. 

On the 22d of April, Napoleon manoeuvred so as to 
bring his entire force, by different routes upon Eckmuhl, 
where the Archduke had collected full one hundred 
thousand men. Here, perhaps, was one of the most 
splendid triumphs of military combination ever dis- 
played. The Austrians were attacked on all sides 
about two o'clock in the afternoon. They fought with 
stubborn courage, and the Archduke displayed great 
bravery. But nothing could avail against the over- 
whelming attack of a scientific adversary, and about 
dusk the Austrians were completely defeated. All the 
Austrian wounded, a great part of their artillery, and 
twenty thousand prisoners, remained in the hands of 
the French, and many more prisoners were taken during 
the pursuit. Davoust, whose services were conspicuous 
on this occasion, was created Prince of Eckmuhl. 

On the 23d, the* Austrians made an attempt to cover 
the retreat of their army, by defending Ratisbon. Six 
regiments occupied the town, and seemed determined 
upon a vigorous defence. The Emperor himself came 
up to order the attack. Ratisbon is situated on the 
Upper Danube, across which it communicates with its 
suburb Stadt-an-Hop, by a bridge a thousand German 
feet in length. It is one of the oldest towns in Ger- 
many, and has an antique aspect. Its streets are narrow 



272 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

and irregular, and its houses, although lofty, are old 
fashioned and inconvenient. Many have tall battle- 
mented towers, loop-holed for musketry, etc. Among 
the most striking public buildings are the cathedral, 
an old Roman tower, and the bishop's palace. The 
rampart^ are dilapidated, and scarcely useful for defence. 

The French soon effected a breach in the ancient 
walls, but again and again were they repulsed by a 
tremendous fire of musketry. At length there was dif- 
ficulty to find volunteers to renew the attack. Such 
a storm of death appalled even brave men. But nothing 
could daunt the impetuous Lannes. His courage was 
of the kind that rose with the danger. He rushed to 
the front, seized a ladder, and fixed it against the wall. 
"I will show you!" he shouted, "that your general is 
still a grenadier !" In spite of the tremendous fire, the 
troops followed the example of their glorious leader, 
for whom there were never laurels enough — scaled the 
walls, and continued the fight in the streets of the town, 
which was set on fire. 

A detachment of French, rushing to charge a body 
of Austrians, which still occupied one end of a burning 
street, were interrupted by some wagons belonging to 
the enemy's train. " They are tumbrils of powder," 
cried the Austrian commanding, to the French. " If 
the flames reach them, both sides perish." The combat 
ceased, and the two parties joined in averting a calamity 
which must have been fatal to both, and finally, saved 
the ammunition from the flames. At length the Aus- 
trians were driven out of Ratisbon, leaving much cannon, 
baggage, and prisoners, in the hands of the French. 



RATISBON. 273 

In the middle of this last melee, Bonaparte, who was 
speaking with his adjutant, Duroc, observing the affair 
at some distance, was struck on the foot by a spent 
musket-ball, which occasioned a severe contusion. 
" That must have been a Tyrolese," said the Emperor, 
coolly, "who has aimed at me from such a distance. 
These fellows fire with wonderful precision." Those 
around remonstrated with him for exposing his person ; 
to which he answered, " What can I do ? I must needs 
see how matters go on." The soldiers crowded about 
him in alarm at the report of his wound ; but he would 
hardly allow it to be dressed, so eager was he to get 
on horseback, and show himself publicly among the 
troops. 

That night the Emperor fixed his quarters in Ratis- 
bon, and the watch-fires of his victorious troops 
illumined the air for miles around. There was much 
revelry that night. A glorious, decisive campaign of 
five days had prostrated the foes of the Emperor, and 
why should not the soldiers rejoice ? The following 
proclamation was issued by the Emperor: 

" Soldiers — Youjiave justified my expectations ; you 
have made up for numbers by your courage ; you have 
gloriously marked the difference which exists between 
the soldiers of Csesar and the armies of Xerxes. 

" In a few days, we have triumphed in the three 
battles of Tann, Abensberg and Eckmuhl, and the 
affairs of Peissing, Landshut and Ratisbon. One hun- 
dred pieces of cannon, fifty thousand prisoners, three 
equipages, three thousand baggage wagons, all the funds 

35 



274 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



of the regiments, are the result of the rapidity of your 
your courage. 

" The enemy intoxicated by a perjured cabinet, 
appeared to have lost all recollection of us ; they have 
been promptly awakened ; you have appeared to them 
more terrible than ever. But lately, they had crossed 
the Inn, and invaded the territory of 'our allies ; but 
lately they had promised themselves to carry the war 
into the bosom of our country. Now, defeated, dismayed 
they fly in disorder; already my advance-guard has 
passed the Inn ; before a month we shall be. at Vienna." 



As Sir Walter Scott says : " It was no wonder that 
others, nay, that he himself, should have annexed to his 
person the degree of superstitious influence claimed for 
the chosen instruments of Destiny, whose path must 
not be crossed, and whose arms cannot be arrested." 
When before had Europe witnessed such a campaign? 
So much glory was enough to intoxicate even Napoleon, 
and we have yet to see that his deep draught of the 
nectar was fatal. 





6&EBIP-PIIIBB8 &T A8PBIBIH &m S@SB.Dia®. 




(M/W'^O 



the offensive. 



FTER the taking of Ratisbon, Napo- 
leon advanced upon Vienna, which 
offered but a feeble resistance, and 
was easily occupied. But the Aus- 
trian army, in 



abandoning 
had 



the 
not 



capital of the empire 
given up the struggle. 

Sheltered by the Danube, the 
bridges over which they had de- 
stroyed at Vienna, and the sur- 
rounding places, they awaited a 
favorable opportunity of taking 
The bridge of Lintz was the first object 

(275) 



276 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

of their attacks ; but Vandamme opposed to them a 
vigorous resistance, and Bernadotte, arriving, completely 
routed them. On his side, Napoleon was also impatient 
to force the passage of the river, in order to finish this 
glorious campaign. The reconstruction of the bridge, 
was, therefore, his first care. Massena had thrown 
several over the arms of the Danube, which bathe the 
island of Lobau ; Napoleon resolved to make use of it 
for the passage of the whole army. In three days, the 
corps of Lannes, Bessieres, and Massena had taken up 
a position on the island. The communication with the 
right bank, was by a bridge of boats, five hundred yards 
in length, and extending over three arms of the river. 
Another bridge, which was not more than sixty-one 
yards in length, connected the island with the left 
bank. It was here, that on the 21st of May, thirty-five 
thousand men crossed without opposition, to give battle 
between Aspern and Essling. 

The reports brought to the French during the night 
were contradictory. Many fights were seen on the 
heights of Bisamberg ; but nearer to the French and in 
their front, the horizon exhibited a pale streak of. about 
a league in length, the reflected light of numerous 
watch-fires, which a rising ground between prevented 
from being themselves visible. From such indications 
as could be collected, Lannes was of opinion that they 
were in presence of the whole Austrian army. Napo- 
leon was on horseback by break of day on the 21st, to 
judge for himself ; but clouds of light troops prevented 
his getting near enough to reconnoitre accurately. Pre- 
sently the skirmishers were withdrawn, and the Aus- 



ASPERN AND ESSLING. 277 

trians were seen advancing with their whole force, 
double in number to the French, and with two Hundred 
and twenty pieces of artillery. Yet with this vast dis- 
proportion of odds, they were strangely astonished at 
the stand which they made on this occasion, as the 
French were mortified and reproached with having suf- 
fered a repulse or made only a drawn battle of it instead 
of a complete victory. The conflict commenced about 
four in the afternoon with a furious attack on the village 
of Aspern, which was taken and retaken several times, 
and at the close of the day remained (except the church 
and church-yard) in the possession of Massena, though 
on fire with the bombs and choked up with the slain. 
Essling was the object of three general attacks, against 
all which the French stood their ground. Lannes was 
at one time on the point of being overpowered, had not 
Napoleon by a sudden charge of cavalry come to his 
relief. Night separated the combatants. 

The hundred thousand Austrians of the Archduke 
had not been able to gain an inch of ground from the 
thirty-five thousand French of Massena, Lannes and 
Bessieres. After the camp-fires were kindled among 
the dead of Aspern and Essling, both armies received 
reinforcements. The grenadiers of Oudinot, the divi- 
sion of St. Hilaire, two brigades of light cavalry, and 
the train of artillery passed the bridges, and took up a 
position on the fine of battle. Napoleon confidently 
expected to achieve a decisive victory on the following- 
day. 

At four o'clock in the morning, the signal for battle 
was again given by the enemy against the village of 



278 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Aspern; but Massena was there to defend it. This 
illustrious warrior, whose intrepidity, coolness and mili- 
tary talents, never appeared to better advantage than 
in difficult positions, did not content himself with repuls- 
ing the Austrians each time they attacked; he soon 
took upon himself the defensive, and completely over- 
threw the columns which were opposed to him. At the 
same moment, Lannes and the young guard fell impetu- 
ously on the centre of the Austrian army, in order to 
cut off the communication with the two wings. Every 
thing gave way before the heroic marshal, and the vic- 
tory became certain and decisive, when, about seven 
o'clock in the morning, it was announced to the Emperor, 
that a sudden increase of the Danube, which had carried 
away trees, vessels and even houses, had also borne 
away the great bridge which joined the island of Lobau 
with the right bank, and which formed the only method 
of communication between the troops engaged on the 
left bank, and the rest of the French army. At this 
news, Napoleon, who had scarcely fifty thousand men 
with him, to make head against a hundred thousand, 
suspended the movement in advance, and ordered his 
marshals merely to retain their position, in order, after- 
wards to effect their retreat in good order to the island 
of Lobau. This order was executed. Generals and 
soldiers valorously upheld the honor of the French flag. 
The enemy informed of the destruction of the bridges, 
which had kept back the park of reserve of the French 
army, and which thus deprived the cannon and 
infantry of cartridges, became so emboldened as to 
resume the offensive on all points. They attacked As- 



ASPERN AND ESSLING. 279 

pern and Essling, three times at the same moment, and 
were three times repulsed. General Mouton distin- 
guished himself at the head of the fusileers of the guard. 
Marshal Lannes, whom the Emperor had charged to 
maintain the field of battle, valiantly fulfilled his task ; 
he powerfully contributed to save this fine portion of 
the French army, the existence of which a stroke of fate 
had nearly compromised. But this striking service was 
the last which this illustrious soldier was to render to 
his country and to the great captain who was rather his 
friend than his master. A bullet struck him in the 
thigh towards the close of the day. Amputation was 
immediately performed, and with such success as 
caused hopes to be conceived which were not to be 
realized. 

Lannes was borne on a litter before the Emperor, who 
wept at the sight of the companion of all his victories 
mortally wounded. 

" Was it requisite," said he in a tone of anguish, "that 
my heart on this day should have been struck so severe 
a blow, to force me to give way to other cares than those 
of my army !" 

Lannes was conveyed to the island of Lobau. He 
had fainted. But he recovered his senses in the pre- 
sence of Napoleon, the god of his idolatry : he clung 
around his neck, and said — 

" In an hour you will have lost him who dies with 
the glory and conviction of having been your best 
friend !" 

But Lannes lingered in agony for ten days. He did 
not want to die. He had not drank deep enough of 



280 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

glory. He said the man who could not cure a Marshal 
and a Duke of Montebello ought to be hanged ! 

" It is at the moment of quitting life," said Napoleon, 
later, "that one clings to it with all one's strength 
Lannes, the bravest of all men, Lannes, deprived of both 
legs, wished not to die. Every moment, the unfortunate 
man asked for the Emperor ; he clung to me for the rest 
of his life ; he wished but for me, thought of me only. 
A species of instinct ! Assuredly he loved his wife and 
children better than me ; and yet he spoke not of them; 
it was because he expected nought from them ; it was 
he who protected them, whilst, on the contrary, I was 
his protector. I was for him something vague, superior ; 
I was his providence ; he prayed to me ! It was impos- 
sible," added Napoleon, " impossible to be more brave 
than Lannes and Murat. Murat remained brave only. 
The mind of Lannes would have increased with his 
courage ; he would have become a giant. If he had 
lived in these times, I do not think it would have been 
possible to have seen liim fail either in honor or duty. 
He was of that class of men who change the face of 
affairs by their own weight and influence." 

The illustrious marshal expired at Viluna on the 31st 
of May. He was lamented as the Roland of the army, 
and one of the greatest generals France had produced. 
General St. Hilaire, also, an excellent officer, was mor- 
tally wounded in this bloody struggle. He was highly 
esteemed by the Emperor, and if he had lived would 
doubtless have risen to the rank of marshal. 

Napoleon was now cooped up in the island of Lobau. 
He had fought two indecisive battles. But that they 



ASPERN AND ESSLING. 281 

were indecisive, when he contended with an army double 
his own in number, was a triumph, of which any other 
commander would not have ceased to boast. However, 
the Emperor prepared himself to strike a blow as decisive 
as was Friedland after Eylau. 

In the meantime, Napoleon ordered the funeral obse- 
quies of the illustrious Lannes to be celebrated in a 
style which astonished all Europe, and showed how a 
man should be honored who had risen from the ranks 
by force of talent, to be a marshal and a Duke of Monte- 
bello. It was a funeral procession of an army of thirty 
thousand men, detailed for this service, who escorted 
the remains of the illustrious warrior from Germany to 
France. They remind us of Alexander honoring the 
remains of his friend Hcephestion. Paris had never 
witnessed a grander procession than that which con- 
veyed the remains of Lannes from the Invalides to the 
Pantheon. It was not a cortege ; it was a whole army 
marching in mourning for a hero, with arms lowered and 
flags bound with crape, and bearing a magnificent ceno- 
taph. The funeral march was composed by the greatest 
composer of Germany, the peerless Beethoven, and it 
was performed by a band, the like of which had never 
been heard in Paris. Occasionally, the mournful strains 
were interrupted by the solemn roll of three hundred 
drums, and the firing of many guns reminded those 
who listened, of those tremendous storms of battle, in 
which the lion-hearted Lannes had so often bled for 
France. The whole funeral ceremony was eminently 
worthy of the Emperor and his illustrious friend. 

36 




™§ SAEKP-IPQIBS Ml wtissmim<> 



M FTER the bloody conflicts of Ess- 
ling and Aspern, Napo- 
leon remained stationary 
for a considerable time. 
The Archduke, uneasy at 
the movements of Mar- 
shal Davoust before Pres- 
burg, dared not assume 
the offensive, and employ- 
ed himself in fortify- 
ing his position between 
Aspern and Ebersclorf. 
Napoleon labored at the reconstruction of the bridges, 
(282) 




WAGRAM. 283 

and the communication between the island and the right 
bank was re-established. Soon afterwards, the Emperor 
learned that the army of Italy, under the command of 
Prince Eugene, had defeated the Austrians, and that 
the victors had effected a junction with the army of 
Germany, on the heights of Simmering. On the 14th 
of June, the Prince gained another victory over the 
Austrians at Raab. Marmont, after some successes in 
Dalmatia,, came to re-unite himself with the Grand 
Army, and to place himself within the circle of the Em- 
peror's operations. Napoleon's eagle eye saw that the 
moment for a decisive stroke had arrived, and he imme- 
diately began the advance movement, which led to the 
famous battle of Wagram. 

About ten o'clock at night, on the 4th of July, the 
French began to cross the Danube. Gunboats, prepared 
for the purpose, silenced some of the Austrian batteries. 
Others were avoided by passing the river out of reach 
of their fire, which the French were enabled to do by 
their new bridges. At daybreak, on the morning of the 
5th, the Archduke Charles was astonished to see the 
whole French army on the left bank of the Danube, 
and so posted as to render the fortifications which he 
' had constructed with so much labor utterly useless for 
defence. 

Greatly frightened at the progress of the French 
army, and at the great results obtained by it, almost 
without effort, the Archduke ordered all the troops to 
march, and at six o'clock in the evening, occupied the 
following position : — the right, from Stradelau to Geras- 
dorf ; the centre, from Gerasdorf to "Wagram, and the 



284 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

left, from Wagram to Neusiedel. The French army 
had their left at Gros-Aspern, their centre at Rachsdorf, 
and their right at Glinzendorf. In this position, the 
day had almost closed, and a great battle was expected 
on the morrow; but this would be avoided, and the 
position of the enemy destroyed, by preventing them 
from conceiving any system, if, in the night, possession 
were taken of Wagram ; then their line, already immense, 
taken by surprise and exposed to the chances of battle, 
would allow the different bodies of the army to err with* 
out order or directions, and they would thus become an 
easy prey without any serious engagement. The attack 
on Wagram took place ; the French carried this place ; 
but a column of Saxons and another of French mistook 
each other in the obscurity for hostile troops, and so 
the operation failed. 

When the bloody and indecisive struggle was relin- 
quished for the night, only one house was left standing 
of the village of Wagram, which had been taken and 
retaken, and at length destroyed by the furious can- 
nonade. 

As the movement designed by the Emperor had 
failed, it remained to prepare for the struggle of the 
next day. It appeared that the dispositions of the 
French and Austrian generals was reversed. The 
Emperor passed the whole night in strengthening his 
centre, where he was in person within cannon-shot of 
Wagram. To effect this, the lion-hearted Massena 
marched to the left of Aderklau, leaving a single division 
at Aspern, which had orders to fall back if hard-pressed, 
upon the island of Lobau. The intrepid and inexorable 



WAGRAM. 285 

Davoust received orders to leave the village of Gross- 
hoffen to approach the centre. The Austrian general, 
on the contrary, committed the time-condemned error 
of weakening his centre in order to strengthen his wings. 
All night could be seen the far-extending lines of the 
blazing fires, which seemed to join each other in the 
distance ; and all night could be heard the heavy tread 
of the troops, marching to take up positions under the 
vigilant eye of the Emperor. Brave, confident hearts, 
how many of them were destined to be swept to earth 
by the storm of the Austrian artillery ! 

At length, the clay of the 6 th dawned upon the plain 
of Wagram, and exhibited the two vast bodies of men, 
whose accoutrements glittered in the light, who were 
about to be hurled together in deadly conflict. At the 
first peep of day, Bernadotte occupied the left, leaving 
Massena in the second line. Prince Eugene, with the 
laurels of Raab freshly enwreathing his brow, connected 
him with the centre, where the corps of Oudinot, Mar- 
mont, those of the imperial guard, and the divisions of 
the cuirassiers, formed eight lines of battle-scarred vete- 
rans, eager for the fray. Davoust marched from the 
right in order to reach the centre. 

The enemy, on the contrary, ordered the corps of 
Bellegarde to march upon Stradelau. The corps of 
Colo wrath, Lichtenstein, and Hiller, connected this right 
with the position of Wagram, where the Prince of Hohen- 
zollern was, and to the extremity of the left, at Neusie- 
del, to which extended the corps of Rosemberg, in 
order to fall upon Davoust. The corps of Rosemberg 
and that of Davoust, making an inverse movement, met 



286 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

with the first rays of the sun, and gave the signal for 
battle. The Emperor made immediately for this point, 
reinforced Davoust with the divisions of cuirassiers, and 
took the corps of Roseinberg in flank with a battery of 
twelve pieces of General Count Nansouty. In less 
than three quarters of an hour, the fine corps of Da- 
voust had defeated Rosemberg's troop, and driven it 
beyond Neusieclel, with great loss. 

In the meantime the cannonade commenced through- 
out the line, and the dispositions of the enemy became 
developed every moment ; the whole of their left was 
studded with artillery ; one would have said that the 
Austrian general was not fighting for the victory, but 
that the only object he had in view, was how to profit 
by it. This disposition of the enemy appeared so 
absurd, that some snare was dreaded, and the Emperor 
hesitated some time before ordering the easy dispositions 
which he had to make, in order to annul those of the 
enemy, and render them fatal to him. He ordered 
Massena to make an attack on a village occupied by the 
foe, and which somewhat pressed the extremity of the 
centre of the army. He ordered Davoust to turn the 
position of Neusiedel, and to push from thence upon Wa- 
gram ; and bade Massena and General Macdonald form 
in column, in order to carry Wagram the moment Da- 
voust should march upon it. 

While this was going forward, word was brought that 
the enemy was furiously attacking the village which 
Massena had carried ; that the left had advanced about 
three thousand yards; that a heavy cannonade was 
already heard at Gross-Aspern, and that the interval 



WAGRAM. 287 

from Gros-Aspern to Wagram appeared covered by an 
immense line of artillery. It conld no longer be doubted : 
the enemy had committed an enormous fault, and it only 
remained to profit by it. The Emperor immediately 
ordered General Macdonald to dispose the divisions of 
Broussier and Lamarque in attacking columns; they 
were supported by the division of General Nansouty, 
by the horse guards, and by a battery of sixty pieces 
of the guard and forty pieces of different corps. Gene- 
ral Count de Lauriston, at the head of this battery of a 
hundred pieces of artillery, galloped towards the enemy, 
advanced without firing to within half cannon-shot, and 
then commenced a prodigious cannonade which soon 
silenced that of the enemy, and carried death into their 
ranks. General Macdonald marched forward to the 
charge. And such a charge had never before been 
witnessed upon the field of battle. Macdonald ad- 
vanced, as it were, in the face of a volcano pouring forth 
a red tide of death. Whole squadrons were swept to 
the earth, but, led by a man without fear, the guards 
never even faltered ; but on, on — still on — they ad- 
vanced, like a decree of fate, which nothing could check. 
To sustain them, Bessieres charged with the cavalry 
of the old guard; but was hurled from his horse by a 
cannon-shot, which damped the enthusiasm of his troops, 
and rendered their onset weak. Napoleon, who, riding 
on a splendid white charger, was a conspicuous mark 
for the balls of the enemy, seeing his faithful Bessieres 
fall, turned away, saying, "Let us avoid another scene!" 
alluding to the incidents attending the death of the illus- 
trious Lannes. But Macdonald continued his rapid 



288 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

advance, attacked and broke the centre of the Austrians, 
and captured their guns. But here he was compelled 
to halt ; the column which he had led to the charge 
had been reduced to between two and three thousand 
effective men. Its path was piled with the slain. But 
the centre of the enemy was broken. Their right, 
seized with a panic, fell back in haste, and Massena 
then attacked in front, while Davoust, who had carried 
Neusiedel and Wagram, attacked and penetrated the 
left. It was but ten o'clock, and jet the victory already 
clung to the eagles of the French. From that time 
until noon, the Archduke only fought for a safe retreat. 
The French continued to gain ground ; until, when the 
sun had reached the meridian, the dispirited Austrian 
general gave the order for retreat. The French pur- 
sued. But Murat, to Napoleon's regret, was not at the 
head of the cavalry, and many of the advantages of 
such a glorious victory were lost. Long before night's 
shadows descended, the Austrians were out of sight, and 
the French encamped upon the field of their victory, 
although the cavalry had posts advanced as far as Sou- 
kirchen. 

At dark, the Emperor could sum up the results of 
this terrible battle, in which between three and four 
hundred thousand men, with from twelve to fifteen hun- 
dred pieces of artillery, did the work of death. Ten 
flags, forty pieces of cannon, twenty thousand prisoners, 
of whom three or four hundred were officers, were the 
trophies. Besides these, the Austrians left upon the 
field about nine thousand men wounded, and an immense 
number of slain. The Archduke himself was wounded 



WAGRAM. 289 

in this bloody struggle. The French had suffered a 
severe loss. Besides a great number of brave men who 
had been swept into the sea of death by the storm of 
the Austrian artillery, there were six thousand wounded, 
among whom were Marshal Bessieres, and the Generals 
Sahuc, Seras, Defranc, Grenier, Vignoble and Frere. 

It was a fitting time to do honor to the unrivalled 
commanders of the army. Macdonald had been in a 
kind of disgrace. But the Emperor now forgot all but 
his unequalled charge. He advanced to that intrepid 
general, and said, " Shake hands, Macdonald ; no more 
animosity between us : let us henceforth be friends !" 
That night, by the camp-fire of Wagram, three new 
marshals of the empire were created, viz.: — Macdonald, 
Oudinot and Marmont. 

The troops were excessively fatigued, and were glad 
when they received orders from the Emperor to cease 
the pursuit, and bivouac on the plain of Wagram. The 
Emperor then entered his tent to seek repose. But he 
had not tasted its sweets more than half an hour, when 
an aid-de-camp came in hurriedly, crying, " Up ! up ! 
to arms !" This cry was caught up and repeated through- 
out the whole army, startling the quiet night. "In 
five minutes," says the author of Travels in Moravia, 
" the troops were in position and ready for action, and 
the Emperor was on horseback, with all his generals 
around him. This rapid and regular movement was 
unparalleled. ' And certainly it was an astonishing dis- 
play of perfect discipline and promptitude. The cause 
of this alarm was the approach of an Austrian corps, 
numbering three thousand men, under the Archduke 

37 



290 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



John. But that body, having failed in an attempt at 
surprise, retreated, and the French returned to their 
bivouacs, much amused with the incident of the night. 
Tn a short time, all was silent again upon the bloody 
plain of Wagram. 

Then followed the treaty of Schoenbrunn, which 
once more prostrated the coalition, and secured Maria 
Louisa, a daughter of the proud house of Hapsburg- 
Lorraine, in the place of the beloved Josephine, as Em- 
press of France. Thus the child of the people had 
conquered an alliance with the daughter of emperors. 





MURAT. 



fiSIB SAEKP-fffllBS ®m TEIB S9QSIQlBii9< 




the error of that treaty. 

independence of Poland. 

leon for a declaration that Poland 



"tPHE oppressive continental po- 
ll licy of Napoleon caused the 
rupture of the peace of Til- 
sit, and led to the grand, but 
disastrous invasion of Rus- 
sia. Alexander gave the 
first offence by not fulfilling 
the condition of his treaty 
with Napoleon. The French 
Emperor then began to see 
It should have secured the 
The czar pressed Napo- 
should never be 
(291) 



292 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

re-established, but the Emperor refused to make this 
concession. Both rulers then prepared for a struggle on 
a gigantic scale. Napoleon determined to invade, and 
Alexander was resolved to make a resolute defence. 

Napoleon determined to concentrate an army of foui 
hundred thousand men upon the banks of the Niemen. 
He was thoroughly informed of the vast resources of 
France and of the condition of the country through 
which he would be compelled to march. As far as hu- 
man calculation could reach, his views were clear and 
accurate. 

It was from the bosom of that France, of which he 
had made a "citadel," which. appeared impregnable, and 
across that Germany whose sovereigns were at his feet, 
that Napoleon wended his way towards the frontier of 
the Russian empire, in order to place himself at the 
head of the most formidable army which the genius of 
conquest had ever led. Fouche, Cardinal Fesch, and 
other noted councillors strove to dissuade Napoleon from 
the impending war; but the Emperor was confident, 
and seems to have entertained no doubt of his success. 
" The war," he said, " is a wise measure, called for by 
the true interests of France and the general welfare. 
The great power I have already attained, compels me 
to assume an universal dictatorship. My views are not 
ambitious. I desire to obtain no further acquisition; 
and reserve to myself only the glory of doing good, 
and the blessings of posterity. There must be but one 
European code ; one court of appeal ; one system of 
money, weights and measures ; equal justice and uniform 
laws throughout the continent. Europe must constitute 



NIEMEN. Z\)6 

but one great nation, and Paris must be the capital of 
the world." Grand but premature conception ! 

The signal for the advance of the Grand Army was 
now sounded. It moved forward in thirteen divisions, 
besides the Imperial Guard, and certain chosen troops. 
The first division was headed by the stern and intrepid 
Davoust; the second, by Oudinot; the third, by the 
indomitable Ney ; the fourth, by the skilful Prince Eu- 
gene ; the fifth, by the devoted Poniatowski ; the sixth, 
by that cool and skilful general, Gouvion St. Cyr; the 
seventh, by the veteran Regnier ; the eighth, by the 
brave but reckless Jerome Bonaparte ; the ninth, by 
the resolute Victor ; the tenth, by the hero of Wagram, 
Macdonald ; the eleventh, by the*old veteran of Italy, 
Augereau ; the twelfth, by the bold and brilliant Murat; 
and the thirteenth by Prince Schwartzenberg. The 
Old Guard — that solid and impenetrable phalanx — was 
commanded by Bessieres, Le Febre and Mortier. 

Long before daybreak, on the 23d of June, the 
French army approached the Niemen. It was only 
two o'clock in the morning, when the Emperor, accom- 
panied only by General Hays, rode forward to recon- 
noitre. He wore a Polish dress and bonnet, and thus 
escaped observation. After a close scrutiny, he dis- 
covered a spot near the village of Poineven, above 
Kowno, favorable to the passage of the troops, and gave 
orders for three bridges to be thrown across, at night- 
fall. The whole day was occupied in preparing facili- 
ties for the passage of the river, the line which separated 
them from the Russian soil. 

The first who crossed the river were a few sappers 



294 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

in a boat. The day had been very warm, and the night 
was welcomed by the weary soldiers, who knew they 
had yet a difficult task to perform. Napoleon, who 
had been somewhat depressed all day, now seemed to 
regain his cheerful spirits. He posted himself upon a 
slight eminence, where he could superintend operations. 
The sappers found all silent on the Russian soil, and no 
enemy appeared to oppose them, with the exception of 
a single Cossack officer on patrole, who asked, with an 
air of surprise, who they were, and what they wanted. 
The sappers quickly replied, " Frenchmen !" and one of 
them briskly added, " Come to make war upon you ; to 
take Wilna, and deliver Poland." The Cossack fled 
into the wood, and three French soldiers discharged 
their pieces at him without effect. These three shots 
were the signals for the opening of this ever-memorable 
campaign. Their echoes roused Napoleon from the 
lethargy into which he had fallen, and he immediately 
planned the most active measures. 

Three hundred voltigeurs were sent across to protect 
the erection of the bridges. At the same time, the dark 
masses of the French columns began to issue from the 
valleys and forests, and to approach the river, in order 
to cross it at dawn of day. 

All fires were forbidden, and perfect silence was en- 
joined. The men slept with their arms in their hands, 
on the green corn, heavily moistened with dew, which 
served them for beds, and their horses for provender. 
Those on watch, passed the hours in reading over the 
Emperor's proclamation, and speculating on the-prospect 
which the daylight would disclose. The night was 



NIEMEN. 295 

keen, and pitch dark. The silence maintained amidst 
such a prodigious mass of life — felt to be there, whilst 
nothing could be seen — rendered the hours unspeakably 
solemn. 

Before dawn, the Avhole array was under arms ; but 
the first beams of the sun shewed no opposing enemy ; 
nothing but dry 'and desert sand, and dark silent forests. 
On their own side of the river, men and horses, and 
glittering arms, covered every spot of ground within the 
range of the eye, and the Emperor's tent in the midst 
of them stood on an elevation. At a given signal, the 
immense mass began to defile in three columns towards 
the bridges. Two divisions of the advanced guard, in 
their ardor for the precedence, nearly came to blows. 
Napoleon crossed among the first, and stationed himself 
near the bridges to encourage the men by his presence. 
They saluted him with their usual acclamations. He 
seemed depressed, for a time, partly owing to his pre- 
vious exertions and want of rest, partly from the 
excessive heat of the day, but no doubt still more from 
the passive desolation which met his forces, when he 
had expected a mortal enemy to contend with him in 
arms. This latter feeling was presently manifested in 
its reaction, and with a fierce impatience he set spurs 
to his horse, dashed into the country, and penetrated 
the forest which bordered the river ; " as if," says Se- 
gur, "he were on fire to come in contact with the enemy 
alone." He rode more than a league in the same direc- 
tion, surrounded throughout by the same solitude. He 
then returned to the vicinity of the bridges, and led the 
army into the country, while a menacing sky hung 



296 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

black and heavy over the moving host. The distant 
thunder began to roar and swell, and the storm soon 
descended. The lightning flamed across the whole ex- 
panse above their heads ; they were drenched with tor- 
rents of rain ; the roads were all inundated ; and the 
recently oppressive heat of the atmosphere was sud- 
denly changed to a bitter chilliness. Some thousands 
of horses perished on the march, and in the bivouacs 
which followed : many equipages were abandoned on the 
sands ; and many men fell sick and died. 

The Emperor found shelter in a convent, from the 
first fury of the tempest, but shortly departed for 
Kowno, where the greatest disorder prevailed. The 
passage of Oudinot had been impeded by the bridge 
across the Yilia having been broken down by the Cos- 
sacks. Napoleon treated this circumstance with con- 
tempt, and ordered a squadron of the Polish guard to 
spur into the flood, and swim across. This fine picked 
troop instantly obeyed. They proceeded at first in good 
order, and soon reached the centre of the river; but- 
here the current was too strong, and their ranks were 
broken. They redoubled their exertions, but the 
horses became frightened and unmanageable. Both 
men and horses were soon exhausted. They no longer 
swam, but floated about in scattered groups, rising and 
sinking, while some among them went down. At 
length, the men, finding destruction inevitable, ceased 
their straggles, but as they were sinking, they turned 
their faces towards Napoleon, and cried out, "Vive 
VEmpereur !" Three of these noble-spirited patriots 
uttered this cry, while only a part of their faces were 



NIEMEN. 297 

above the waters. The army was struck with a mix- 
ture of horror and admiration. Napoleon watched the 
scene apparently unmoved, but gave every order he 
could devise for the purpose of saving as many of them 
as possible, though with little effect. It is probable 
that his strongest feeling, even at the time, was a pre- 
sentiment that this disastrous event was but the begin- 
ning of others, at once tremendous and extensive. 

Marshal Oudinot with the second corps crossed the 
Vilia, by a bridge at Keydani. Meanwhile the rest of 
the army was still crossing the Niemen, in which opera- 
tion three entire days were consumed. 

After the first night of the arrival upon the Niemen, 
camp-fires were permitted, and their vast line illumined 
the sky to a great distance. The troops suffered severely 
from the sudden changes of the weather — from oppres- 
sive heat to piercing cold. But when we learn their 
sufferings in the rest of the campaign, we forget this 
first taste of misery. Before the army had entirely 
crossed the Niemen, Napoleon reached the plain of 
Wilna, which he found the Russians had deserted. 
However, he was received by the inhabitants of Wilna 
as a deliverer, and the restorer of the nationality of Po- 
land. Still the steady movement of retreat, laying 
waste the country — the plan which the Russian generals 
had adopted — caused the Emperor to be gloomy, and it 
seemed as if the cloud of adversity had already begun 
to obscure his star. 

38 




MASSENA. 



TOS (SMHP-PQIBS AT OTifglPSK. 




HE first combat of importance 
during the Russian cam- 
paign was fought at Os,- 
trowna. On the 18th of 
July, Napoleon reached 
Klubokoe. There he was 
informed that the Russian 
general, Barclay de Tolly, 
had abandoned the camp 
at Drissa, and was march- 
ing towards Witepsk. He 
immediately ordered all 
his corps upon Beszenko- 
wici; and so admirable and precise were his combina- 
(298) 



WITEPSK. 299 

tions, that the whole of his immense mass of armies 
reached the place in one day. Segur has graphically 
described the apparent chaos of confusion which seemed 
to result from that very regularity itself. The columns 
of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, presenting themselves 
on every side; the rush, the crossing, the jostling; the 
contention for quarters, and for forage and provisions ; 
the aides-de-camp bearing important orders vainly 
struggling to open a passage. At length, before mid 
night, order had taken the place of this apparent 
anarchy. The vast collection of troops had flowed off 
towards Ostrowno, or been quartered in the town, and 
profound silence succeeded the tumult. The Russian 
army had got the start of Napoleon, and now occupied 
Witepsk. 

The first combat of Ostrowno took place on the 25th 
of July. The Russian infantry, protected by a wood, 
fiercely contested the ground, but were beaten back at 
every point by the repeated charges of Murat, seconded 
by the eighth regiment of infantry, and the divisions of 
Bruyeres and St. Germains ; and at length the division of 
Delzons coming up completed the victory of the French. 
On the 26th, the Russians who had been reinforced, 
and had occupied a very strong position, seemed dis- 
posed to renew the struggle. Barclay had thrown for- 
ward this portion of his force to retard the French ad- 
vance, while he daily looked for the junction of Bagra- 
tion. The French* van had also been reinforced; 
Prince Eugene with the Italian division having joined 
in the night. The numbers and strong position of the 
Russians gave them an immense superiority in the begin- 



300 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

ning of the day. They attacked with fury, issuing in 
large masses out of their woods with deafening war 
cries. The French regiments opposed to this onset 
were mowed down, beaten back, and in danger of an 
irretrievable rout. At this critical moment, Murat 
placed himself at the head of a regiment of Polish lan- 
cers, and with word and gesture incited them to an 
unanimous and energetic rush. Roused by his address, 
and inspired with rage at the sight of their oppressors, 
they obeyed with impetuosity. His object had been to 
launch them against the enemy, not to mingle person- 
ally in the torrent of the fight, which must disqualify 
him for the command; but their lances were in their 
rests, and closely filed behind him ; they occupied the 
whole width of the ground ; they hurried him forwards 
at the full speed of their horses, and he was absolutely 
compelled to charge at their head, which he did, as the 
eye-witnesses affirm, "with an admirable grace," his 
plumed hat and splendid uniform giving him on this 
occasion, and numberless others in which he displayed 
a most joyous and reckless courage, the air of some 
knight of romance. This impetuous onset was seconded 
by the other French leaders. Eugene, General Girardin, 
and General Pire attacked at the head of their columns, 
and finally the wood was gained. The Russians re-, 
treated, and disappeared from view in a forest two 
leagues in depth, into the recesses of which even the 
impetuosity of Murat hesitated to follow. The forest 
was the last obstacle which hid Witepsk from their 
view. At this moment of uncertainty, Napoleon ap- 
peared with the main body of the army, and all diffi- 



WITEPSK. 301 

culties and uncertainties soon vanished. After hearing 
the report of the two princes, he went without delay to 
the highest point of ground he could reach. There he 
observed long and carefully the nature of the position, 
and calculated the movements of his enemies ; he then 
ordered an immediate advance. The whole army 
rapidly traversed the forest, and began to debouch upon 
the plain of Witepsk before night-fall. The approach- 
ing darkness, the multitude of Russian watch-fires 
which covered the open ground, and the time requisite 
to complete the extrication of his several divisions from 
the defiles of the forest, obliged Napoleon to halt at this 
point. He believed himself to be in presence of the 
main Russian army, and on the eve of the great battle 
he so ardently desired. He left his tent, and repaired 
to his advanced posts before daybreak on the 27th, and 
the first rays of the sun shewed him the whole of Bar- 
clay's forces encamped on an elevated position, com- 
manding all the avenues of Witepsk. The deep chan- 
nel of the river Lucszissa marked the foot of this posi- 
tion, and ten thousand cavalry and a body of infantry 
were stationed in advance of the river to dispute its 
approaches ; the main body of the Russian infantry 
was in the centre on the high road ; its left, on woody 
eminences ; its right, supported by cavalry, resting on 
the Dwina. 

Napoleon took his station on an insulated hill in view 
of both armies. Here, surrounded by a circle of chas- 
seurs of his guard, he directed the movements of his 
troops as they successively advanced to form in fine of 
battle. Two hundred Parisian voltigeurs of the ninth 



302 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

regiment of the line, were the first who debouched, and 
were ranged on the left in front of the Russian cavalry, 
and resting, like it, on the Dwina ; they were followed 
by the sixteenth chasseurs and some artillery. The 
Russians looked on with coolness, offering no opposition. 
This favorable state of inaction was suddenly inter- 
rupted by Murat. Intoxicated at the brilliant and im- 
posing assemblage of so many thousands of spectators, 
he precipitated the French chasseurs upon the whole 
Russian cavalry. They were met by an overwhelming 
opposition ; broken, put to flight, and the foremost cut 
to pieces. The King of Naples, stung to the quick at 
this result, threw himself into the thickest of the rout 
and confusion, sword in hand. His life had nearly been 
forfeited to his headstrong valor. A furious and well- 
directed blow was just descending on his head, aimed 
from behind by a Russian trooper, and it was only 
averted by a sudden slash from the sabre of the orderly 
who attended Murat, which cut off the trooper's arm. 
The consequences of these rash proceedings did not stop 
here. The successful resistance of the Russian cavalry 
impelled them to advance nearly as far as the hill on 
which Napoleon was posted, and his guard with great 
difficulty drove them back by repeated discharges of 
their carbines. The two hundred Parisian voltigeurs,. 
left in an isolated position by the disorder into which 
the chasseurs had been thrown, were next placed in 
imminent peril. The Russian cavalry in returning to 
the main body, attacked and surrounded the voltigeurs. 
Both armies, spectators of this sudden and unequal 
conflict, regarded that small band of men as utterly 



WITEPSK. 303 

lost. To the amazement of both French and Russians, 
however, this handful of apparent victims was presently 
seen to emerge unhurt from the dense cloud of assail- 
ants, who continued their original movement upon their 
own position. The voltigeurs had rapidly thrown 
themselves into square on a woody and broken space of 
ground, close to the river. Here the Russian cavalry 
could not act, while the steady fire of the voltigeurs 
made such havoc that their assailants were glad to leave 
them as they found them. Napoleon sent the cross of 
the Legion of Honor to every one of them on the spot. 

The remainder of the day was spent by Napoleon in 
stationing his army; in waiting for the successive 
arrivals of different corps, — to be brief, in preparing for 
a decisive battle on the morrow. The more ardent of 
his generals wished that he had not waited till " the 
morrow," and when he took leave of Murat with the 
words, " To-morrow you will see the sun of Austerlitz," 
the King of Naples incredulously shook his head, say- 
ing, that " Barclay only assumed that posture of defiance, 
the better to ensure his retreat ;" and then, with a temer- 
ity, verging on the ludicrous, gave vent to his impatient 
irritation by ordering his tent to be pitched on the 
banks of the Lucszissa, nearly in the midst of the enemy, 
that he might be the first to catch the sounds of their 
retreat. 

Murat was right. The Russians retreated while the 
Emperor was preparing to make Witepsk the scene of 
a decisive battle. At daybreak, Murat came to inform 
the Emperor that he was going in pursuit of the Rus- 
sians who were no longer in sight. Napoleon would 



304 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

not at first credit the report, but their empty camp soon 
convinced him of the truth. There was not even a 
trace to indicate the route Barclay had taken. The 
army then entered Witepsk, and found it deserted. 
They then followed in pursuit for six leagues, through 
a deep and burning sand, and during the march the sol- 
diers suffered dreadfully from thirst. At last, night 
put an end to their progress at Agiiaponorchtchina. 
While the troops were busy in procuring some muddy 
water to drink, Napoleon held a council, the result of 
which was, that it was useless to pursue the Russian 
army any further at present, and that it was advisable 
to halt where they were, on the borders of Old Russia. 
As soon as the Emperor had formed this resolution, he 
returned to Witepsk with his guards. On entering his 
head-quarters in that city on the 28th, he took off his 
sword, and laid it down on the maps which covered his 
table. "Here!" said he, "I halt I want to recon- 
noitre, to rally, to rest my army, and to organize Poland. 
The campaign of 1812 is over ; that of 1813 will do the 
rest." Ah ! well for him would it have been, had he 
been content with the laurels that were heaped upon 
his head, and fallen back then to devote himself to the 
restoration of Poland. But his faith in his star had not 
yet been weakened, and on, on — he would press, till 
checked by obstacles which no human power could 
overcome. 




FOBS (SiXSBP^aiBEl AT S5H®iLilEI§[S®< 




APOLEON halted two weeks at 
MP Witepsk. He felt that if he could 
not find the Russian army, it was 
Sj^j necessary to make a conquest that 
|^& would end the campaign with sub- 
pjp stantial glory. Now, more than 
ever the idea of capturing the 
ancient Moscow entered his head, and he quickly de- 
cided to advance. Already full of the plan, which was 
to crown him with success, he ran to his maps. There 
he saw nothing but Smolensko and Moscow. 

39 (305) 



306 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

"At the sight of them/' says Hazlitt, "he appeared 
inflamed by the genius of war. His voice became 
harsh, his glance fiery, and his whole air stern and 
fierce. His attendants retired from his presence, 
through fear as well as respect; but at length his mind 
was fixed, his determination taken, and his line of 
march traced out. Immediately after, the tempest was 
calmed, and having given consistency and utterance to 
his great conceptions, his features resumed their wonted 
character of placidity and cheerfulness." He did all in 
his power to gain over his officers to his purposes, and 
redoubled his attentions to his soldiers. The latter 
soon displayed a spirit of heroic devotion to his person. 

The column of advance consisted of one hundred and 
eighty-five thousand men j not one half of the comple- 
ment of the vast army which had entered Russia on 
the 23d of June. 

It must be remembered that the great tract of coun- 
try already passed was now occupied by his army, and 
necessarily expended a force, amounting perhaps to 
nearly eighty thousand men ; but it is computed that in 
addition to this diminution of his army engaged in actual 
service, he had lost one-third of his original numbers 
by desertion, wounds, or death, either from fatigue or 
disease, or in the field of battle. Numbers of his hos- 
pital wagons, pontoons, and provision wagons, also, were 
far in the rear. Still, all these considerations gave way 
before his ardent desire to hurry the war to a termina- 
tion, and the exertions he made at Witepsk were all 
with a view to an advance. Several actions occurred 
between his generals and the different divisions of the 



SMOLENSKO. 307 

Russian army during the period in which he held his 
head-quarters at Witepsk. Schwartzenberg conquered 
Tormazoff at Gorodeczna; Barclay retreated before 
Ney at Krasnoi ; and Ouclinot defeated Witgenstein 
near Polotsk, in a second combat, — the first in which 
they encountered was indecisive. It was at this mo- 
ment that Napoleon received news of the conclusion of 
peace between Russia and Turkey, an event which much 
more than counterbalanced these successes. 

During the first week of August, intelligence reached 
Witepsk, that the advanced guard, led by Prince 
Eugene, had obtained some advantages near Suraij ; 
but that, in the centre, at Tukowo, near the Dnieper, 
Sebastiani had been surprised, and conquered by 
superior numbers. This information, together with the 
march of Barclay upon Rudnia, decided Napoleon. He 
conjectured that the whole Russian army was united 
between the Dwina and the Dnieper, and was marching 
against his cantonments. His conjecture proved to be 
perfectly correct. The Russian commander-in-chief 
conceiving that the French army at Witepsk lay con- 
siderably more dispersed than his own, had resolved to 
attempt a surprise. The utmost activity now pervaded 
head-quarters. On the 10th of August, Napoleon was 
observed to write eight letters to Davoust, and nearly 
as many to each of his commanders. " If the enemy 
defends Smolensko," he said, in one of his letters to 
Davoust, " as I am tempted to believe he will, we shall 
have a decisive engagement there, and we cannot have 
too large a force. Orcha will become the central point 
of the army. Every thing induces me to believe that 



308 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

there will be a great battle at Smolensko." Barclay 
having laid a plan for the surprise of Napoleon, the 
latter by a daring manoeuvre avoided it, and almost 
succeeded in an attempt to turn the very same plan of 
surprise upon his enemy. Allowing the skirmishing to 
continue on the advanced posts, he changed his line of 
operations, and turning the left of the Russians instead 
of their right, which was expected by Barclay, he 
gained the rear of their army, and endeavored to 
occupy Smolensko, and act upon their lines of commu- 
nication with Moscow. To effect this, he had with- 
drawn his forces from Witepsk and the line of the 
Dwina, with equal skill and rapidity, and throwing 
four bridges across the Dnieper, made a passage for 
Ney, Eugene Beauharnais, and Davoust, with Murat 
at the head of two large bodies of cavalry. They 
were supported by Poniatowski and Junot, who ad- 
vanced in different routes. The attack was led by 
Ney and Murat, who bore down all opposition till they 
reached Krasnoi, where a battle was fought on the 14th 
of August. He had thus suddenly changed his line 
of operations from the Dwina to the Dnieper, and the 
manoeuvre has been the subject of much admiration 
and criticism among French and Russian tacticians. 

The Russian general, Newerowskoi, who commanded 
at Krasnoi, finding himself attacked by a body of in- 
fantry stronger than his own, and two large bodies of 
cavalry besides, retreated upon the road to Smolensko. 
This road being favorable for the action of cavalry, he 
was hotly pressed by Murat, who led the pursuit in full 
splendor of attire, and with all the reckless valor which 



SMOLENSKO. 309 

characterised him. He also dispatched some of his light 
squadrons to alarm if not attack the front of the retreat- 
ing corps, while he made furious onsets upon their flank 
and rear. Newerowskoi, however, effected a skilful and 
gallantly-conducted retreat, availing himself of a double 
row of trees on the high road to Smolensko, by which 
he evaded the charges of the cavalry, and was enabled 
to pour in a heavy fire. He made good his retreat into 
Smolensko, with the loss of four hundred men. 

The day on which the combat at Krasnoi was fought, 
happened to be the Emperor's birth-day. There was no 
intention of keeping it in these immense solitudes, and 
under the present circumstances of peril and anxiety. 
There could be no heartfelt festival without a complete 
victory. Murat and Ney, however, on giving in the 
report of their recent success, could not refrain from 
complimenting the Emperor on the anniversary of his 
nativity. A salute from a hundred pieces of artillery 
was now heard, fired according to their orders. Napo- 
leon, with a look of displeasure, observed, that in Rus- 
sia it was important to be economical of French powder. 
But he was informed in reply, that it was Russian 
powder, and had been taken the night before. The 
idea of having his birth- day celebrated at the expense 
of the Russians made Napoleon smile. Prince Eugene 
also paid his compliments to the Emperor on this occa- 
sion; but was cut short by Napoleon saying, "Every 
thing is preparing for a battle. I will gain that, and 
then we will see Moscow." 

While Newerowskoi was intrenched in Smolensko, 
the generals, Barclay and Bagration, who were stationed 



310 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

towards Inkowo, between the Dnieper and Lake Kas- 
plia, hesitated whether to attack the French army, 
which they believed to be still in their front. But 
when they heard of the situation of Newerowskoi, the 
question of forcing the French lines was superseded by 
the necessity of hurrying to the rescue of Smolensko. 
Murat had already commenced an attack on the city. 
Ney had attempted to carry the citadel by a coup cle 
main, but was repulsed with the loss of two or three 
hundred men, and was himself slightly wounded. He 
withdrew to an eminence on the river's bank, to exa- 
mine the various positions, when on the other side of the 
Dnieper he thought he could discern some large masses 
of troops in motion. He hastened to inform the Em- 
peror. Napoleon was presently on the spot, and distin- 
guished, amidst clouds of dust, long dark columns which 
seemed electric with the intermittent glancing of innu- 
merable arms. These masses were advancing with 
rapidity. It was Barclay and Bagration at the head of 
a hundred and twenty thousand men. At this sight, 
Napoleon clapped his hands for joy, exclaiming, — " At 
last I have them!" The moment that was to decide 
the fate of Russia or the French army, had apparently 
arrived. 

Napoleon passed along the line, and assigned to each 
commander his station, leaving an extensive plain unoc- 
cupied in front, between himself and the Dnieper. This 
he offered to the enemy as a field of battle. The French 
army in this position was backed by defiles and preci- 
pices ; but Napoleon had no anxiety about retreat, so 
certain felt he of victory. 



SMOLENSKO. 3] 1 

Instead, however, of accepting the challenge to a 
decisive battle, Barclay and Bagration were seen next 
morning in fall retreat towards Elnia; a movement 
which was so bitterly disappointing to Napoleon that 
he for some time refused to credit the fact. Various 
plans were contemplated by the Emperor for partially 
cutting off their retreat, but could not be brought into 
operation. He instantly ordered the storming of Smo- 
lensko, inferring that it should be considered as a mere 
passage through which he would force his way to Mos- 
cow. It appears that Murat was very anxious to 
dissuade him from this attempt, but rinding his efforts 
in vain, the King of Naples was so exasperated that 
he rode in front of the most formidable of the Russian 
batteries while it was in full play upon the French ; 
and having dismounted, remained standing immoveable, 
while the balls were cutting down men on all sides. 
The storming proceeded with success, except in the 
attack made by Ney upon the citadel, which repulsed 
him with loss. One battalion happening to present itself 
in flank before the Russian batteries, lost the entire row 
of. a company by a single ball, which thus killed twenty- 
two men at the same instant. In the mean time, the 
main army, on an amphitheatre of hills, surveyed in 
anxiety the struggles of their comrades in arms, and 
occasionally applauded them with loud clapping hands 
as in a theatre, while they made good any fresh onset, 
dashing through a maze of balls and g^ape-shot which 
shadowed the air. 

The troops were drawn off as night came on, and 
Napoleon retired to his tent. Count Lobau, having 



312 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

obtained possession of the ditch, ordered some shells to 
be thrown into the city, to dislodge the enemy. Al- 
most immediately were seen rising thick and black 
columns of smoke, with occasional gleams of light; 
then sparks and burning flakes ; and at length pyramids 
of flame, which ascended from every part. These dis- 
tinct and distant fires soon became united in one vast 
conflagration, which rose in whirling and destructive 
grandeur, — hung over nearly the whole of Smolensko, 
and consumed it amidst ominous and awful crashes. 
This disaster, which Count Lobau very naturally 
attributed to his shells, though it was the work of the 
Russians, threw him into great consternation. Napo- 
leon, seated in front of his tent, viewed the terrific spec- 
tacle in silence. Neither the cause nor the result could 
as yet be ascertained, and the night was passed under 
arms. About three in the morning, a subaltern officer, 
belonging to Davoust, had ventured to the foot of the 
wall, and scaled it, without giving the least alarm. Em- 
boldened by the silence which reigned around him, he 
made his way into the city, when suddenly hearing a 
number of voices speaking with the Sclav onian accent, 
he gave himself up for lost. But at this instant, the 
level rays of the sun discovered these supposed enemies 
to be the . Poles of Poniatowski. They had been the 
first to penetrate the city, which Barclay had just 
abandoned to the flames. Smolensko having been 
reconnoitred, the army entered within its walls. The 
remarks of Segur on this occasion are very fine : — 
" They passed over the smoking and bloody, ruins in 
martial order, and with all the pomp of military music 



SMOLENSKO. 313 

and displayed banners ; triumphant over deserted 
ruins, and the solitary witness of their own glory. A 
spectacle without spectators ; a victory scarcely better 
than fruitless ; a gloiy steeped in blood ; and of which 
the smoke that surrounded them, and that seemed 
indeed to be the only conquest, was the best and most 
characteristic emblem." 

Here Napoleon found, as at the Niemen, at Wilna, 
and at Witepsk, that phantom of victory which had 
decoyed him onward, had again eluded his grasp ; and 
with mute and gloomy rage he walked along the city 
over heaps of smoking ruins and the naked bodies of 
the slain. He sat down in front of the citadel, on a 
mat at the door of a cottage, and here he held forth for 
an hour on the cowardice of Barclay, while bullets from 
the citadel walls were whizzing about his head. He 
dwelt upon the fine, field for action he had offered him, 
the disgrace it was to have delivered up the keys of 
Old Russia without a struggle ; the advantages he had 
given him in a strong city to support his efforts or to 
receive him in case of need. Without taking the 
slightest notice of the bullets from the Russian riflemen 
in the citadel, he thus continued to sit and vent his pas- 
sionate disappointment, uttering the most bitter sarcasms 
upon the Russian general and army. " He was not yet 
in the secret," laconically observes Hazlitt, " of the new 
Scythian tactics of defending a country by burning its 
capitals." At length, he remounted his horse. One 
of his marshals remarked, as soon as he was out of 
hearing, that "if Barclay had been so very wrong in 

refusing battle, the Emperor would not have taken so 

40 



314 CAMP-FIEES OF NAPOLEON. 

much time to convince us of it." The truth was, he 
had no patience with the Russians for not staying — to 
be beaten. 

The Russians still retained the suburbs of Smolensko, 
on the right bank of the Dnieper. During the night. 
Napoleon caused the bridges to be repaired, and a heavy 
cannonade to be kept up; and by the morning, the 
suburb had been deserted after being first set on fire. 
Ney and Junot immediately pressed forward through 
the burning labyrinth, and halted on the spot at which 
the roads to Petersburg and Moscow diverge, uncertain 
in which direction to continue the pursuit. At length, 
the French scouts brought information that Barclay had 
retreated in the direction of Moscow, taking at first a 
circuitous route through marshy and woody defiles. 
Ney came up with the rear guard at Stubna, where he 
dislodged them from a strong position, without difficulty; 
and next at Valoutina, where a desperate conflict took 
place, in which thirty thousand men were successively 
engaged on either side. Encumbered as he was by a 
long line of artillery and baggage, and hard pressed by 
Ney, Barclay was in extreme danger of losing his whole 
army, but he was saved by the unaccountable remiss- 
ness of Junot, who had absolutely got into his rear, yet 
suspended his attack. Junot was a favorite with Napo- 
leon, but he lost his command for this indecision. It 
was transferred to Rapp, who had just joined the army. 
The action had been sanguinary, and among other severe 
losses, the French general Gudin was mortally wounded. 
Napoleon visited the field of battle, which would pro- 
bably have been a decisive one had he been present to 



SMOLENSKO. 316 

direct the manoeuvres. The soldiers were ranged round 
the dead bodies of French and Russians which covered 
the ground ; the ghastly nature of their wounds, and 
the wrenched and twisted bayonets scattered about, 
bearing witness to the violence of the conflict. Napo- 
leon felt that the time was come when his men required 
the support both of praise and rewards. Accordingly, 
he suppressed his chagrin at the indecisive result of the 
victory. His looks were never more impressive and 
affectionate. He declared this battle was the most 
brilliant exploit in their military history. In his 
rewards, he was munificent. The division of Gudin 
alone received eighty-seven decorations, and promotions. 
He watched over and secured the care of the wounded, 
and left the field amidst the enthusiastic acclamations 
of his soldiers. He then returned to Smolensko. His 
carriage jolted over the grisly ruins of the fight, and 
his eyes were met on every side by all that is odious 
and horrible in fields of battle. Long lines of wounded 
were dragging themselves, or being borne along, and 
retarded his progress; when he entered the ruined 
city, carts were conveying out of sight the streaming 
heap of amputated limbs. Smolensko seemed one vast 
hospital, and its groans of anguish prevailed over and 
obliterated the glories and acclamations of Valoutina. 

The situation of the French army had now become 
grave and critical. There could no longer be a doubt 
of the plan which Barclay was pursuing, and disas- 
trous apprehensions crowded upon Napoleon's mind. 
The burning of Smolensko was evidently one result of a 
deep laid design ; it could not be attributed to accident. 



316 



CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 



What must have been his reflections on the evening 
of this disastrous day, when, with a burning city for a 
camp-fire, he at length discovered the settled policy of 
his enemy — the policy, namely, by which Robert Bruce, 
in his last will, directed his countrymen how to con- 
quer the ever-invading English — the policy by which 
Francis the First baffled his great rival, Charles the 
Fifth, in his attempt to conquer France — the policy 
of laying waste the country, burning the cities, retreat- 
ing without a pitched battle and leaving famine, cold 
and disease to destroy the invading force ? 

Whatever misfortune awaited him, the Emperor was 
resolved to meet it without delay. He really dared 
fate to do its worst. 





NAPOLEON AT WIAZMA. 



Page 317. 




ITS!® (SMflP-PQIBB £S ' WD&SBMo 



fe__ VEN after quitting Sniolensko, 
Napoleon did not penetrate 
the designs of the Russian 
general^ Barclay de Tolly. He 
called the retreat, flight ; their 
circumspection, pusillanimity. 
Barclay had retreated to 
Dorogobouje, without attempt- 
ing any resistance; but here 
he renewed his junction with Bagration, and Murat 
wishing to reconnoitre a small wood, met with a vigor- 
ous resistance, and pressing forwards found himself in 
front of the whole Russian army. He immediately 

(317) 




318 CAMP-FIRES OP NAPOLEON. 

sent word to Napoleon, who was in the rear. Davoust 
also, who disapproved of Murat's dispositions, wrote to 
hasten the Emperors advance, "if he did not wish 
Murat to engage without him." Napoleon received the 
news with transport, and pressed on with his guard 
twelve leagues without stopping ; but on the evening 
before he arrived, the enemy had disappeared. Barclay 
persevered in his retreat amidst imputations of treachery 
from Bagration, and discord and impatience throughout 
his camp. Bage at the continual falling back before the 
invaders had produced so many complaints, that Alex- 
ander had at last resolved to supersede Barclay by Ku- 
tusoff, who was shortly expected. Meantime, the 
French army advanced, marching three columns abreast; 
the Emperor, Murat, Davoust, and Ney, in the middle, 
along the great road to Moscow ; Poniatowski on the 
right, and the army of Italy on the left. 

It was not likely that the centre column could obtain 
any supplies on a road where the advanced guard had 
found nothing to subsist upon but the leavings of the, 
Russians. They could not in so rapid a march find 
time to deviate from the direct route ; besides which, 
the right and left columns were collecting and devour- 
ing all they could find on each side of the road. It 
seemed that a second army would have been required 
to follow them with the requisite necessaries ; but as it 
was, they were obliged to carry everything with them. 
The existence of the army was a prodigy. With the 
French and Polish corps, the difficulties were not so 
great, owing to their excellent arrangements in packing 
their knapsacks, and by every regiment having attached 



WIAZMA. 319 

to it a number of dwarf-horses, carts, and a drove of 
oxen. Their baggage was conducted by soldiers as 
drivers. But with the other chiefs in command, the 
case was very different. They had none of these excel- 
lent arrangements among them, and only existed by 
sending out marauding detachments on every side, who 
devoured their fill, and then returned to their respective 
bodies with the remainder — if any remained. Napo- 
leon had not paid sufficient attention to these distinc- 
tions, in the arrangements of the various divisions, and 
the consequences were highly injurious. Very great dis- 
tress, and very disorderly conduct incessantly occurred 
in the course of the march, particularly at Slawokowo. 
But Napoleon seemed only possessed by the idea of 
Moscow, and. victory. He evidently took a great plea- 
sure in frequently dating decrees and dispatches from 
the middle of Old Russia, which he knew would find 
their way even into the smallest hamlets throughout 
France, and make him appear present every where in 
full power. 

Murat and Davoust had frequent misunderstandings 
at this period, which on one occasion came to an open 
quarrel. Davoust had been placed under the orders of 
the King of Naples, but the latter having brought the 
troops into the greatest peril by his headstrong valor 
and love of personal display and prowess, Davoust 
showed an unwillingness to support him. This presently 
led to a violent altercation in presence of the Emperor. 
Murat upbraided Davoust with slow and dilatory cir- 
cumspection, and with a personal hostility towards him- 
self ever since they were in Egypt. He became more 



320 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

vehement as he proceeded, and finally challenged the 
Prince of Eckmuhl. At this last provocation, the deli- 
berate Davoust gave way to his feelings, and began a 
long history of the extraordinary pranks played by the 
King of Naples in pursuing the Russians. He said it 
was high time that the Emperor should be made ac- 
quainted with what passed every day in the manage- 
ment of his advanced guard. He showed that Murat 
wasted lives by useless attacks upon the Russians, for 
the sake of gaining a few acres of ground, although it 
invariably happened that the enemy left the ground of 
their own accord, whenever a sufficient force came up 
with them ; that Murat was in the constant habit of 
losing men by slaughterous follies in the front to no 
purpose, after which he began to think of the propriety 
of reconnoitering ; that he kept the whole of the ad- 
vanced guard in a state of restless activity during six- 
teen hours of the twenty-four, with no cause, and finally 
chose the worst quarters for the night ; so that the sol- 
diers, instead of taking their food and rest, were groping 
about for provisions and forage, and calling to each 
other in the dark, in order to find their way back to. the 
bivouacs : and that the king did nothing else but storm 
and rage through the ranks, and then ride close to the 
enemy's fines in all directions. 

Napoleon listened to the whole of this in silence, 
pushing a Russian bullet backwards and forwards under 
the sole of his foot. When they were both quite out of 
breath, he mildly told them that junder present circum- 
stances he preferred impetuosity to methodical caution ; 
that each had his merits ; it was impossible for one mau 



WIAZMA. 3 21 

to combine all descriptions of merit ; and enjoining them 
to be friends for the future, dismissed them to their 
tents. 

On the 28th of August, the army traversed the great 
plains of Wiazma. They passed hastily onwards, 
several regiments abreast, over the fields. The high 
road was given up to the train of artillery, and the hos- 
pital wagons. The Emperor appeared among them in 
all directions. He was occupied in calculating, as he 
went forward, how many thousands of cannon-balls 
would be required to destroy the Russian army. He 
ordered all private carriages to be broken up, as they 
might tend to impede their progress, and be in the way 
when a battle occurred. The carriage of his aid-de- 
camp, General Narbonne, was the first that was 
demolished. The baggage of all the corps was collected 
in the rear, comprised of a long train of bat-horses, and 
of carriages called kibics, drawn by rope-traces. These 
were loaded with provisions, plunder, military stores, 
sick soldiers, and the arms of these soldiers, and of 
those who acted as drivers and guards. In this hetero- 
geneous column were seen tall cuirassiers, who had lost 
their horses, and . were mounted on horses not much 
larger than asses. Among such a confused and disor- 
derly multitude, the Cossacks might have made most 
harassing attacks ; but Barclay seemed cautious to 
avoid disheartening the French too much. His object 
was to impede and delay the progress of the invaders, 
by contests with the advanced guard only, and without 
inducing them to abandon their design. 

This protracted state of affairs, the fatigued condi- 

41 



322 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

tion of the army, the quarrels among the chiefs, and 
the approach of yet more dangerous circumstances, 
filled the mind of Napoleon with distrust and apprehen- 
sion. He had for some time hoped and expected that 
Alexander would open some negotiation with him, or at 
least send him a letter. At length, he gave the oppor- 
tunity himself, by causing Berthier to write to Barclay ; 
and the letter concluded with these words :■ — " The Em- 
peror commands me to entreat you to present his com- 
pliments to the Emperor Alexander, and to say to him 
that neither the vicissitudes of war, nor any other cir- 
cumstances, can ever impair the friendship which he 
feels for him." Napoleon's sincerity in this profession 
was probably of the same value as the previous good 
faith of Alexander. No answer was returned. On the 
very day the letter was sent, the advanced guard of 
the French drove the Russians into Wiazma. The 
army was so exhausted by fatigue, heat, and thirst, 
that the soldiers fought among themselves for prece- 
dence in obtaining water from some muddy pools. 
Napoleon himself was very glad to obtain a little of this 
thick puddle to allay his thirst. In the course of the 
night, the Russians destroyed the bridges of the 
Wiazma; and, after pillaging the town, set fire to it, 
and decamped. Murat and Davoust, after some oppo- 
sition, succeeded in making an entrance and extin- 
guishing the flames. Various reports now made to the 
Emperor left him no longer in the least doubt as to 
who were the incendiaries, and he clearly perceived 
the regular plan on which the Russians were acting. 
Entering Wiazma, he found a few resources had been 






WIAZMA. 323 

left in the town, but that his soldiers had wasted them 
all by pillage. This so exasperated him that he rode 
in among them, and threw several of them down. See- 
ing a suttler who had been very busy in this wasteful 
disorder, he ordered him to be shot. But it is well 
known of Napoleon, that his fits of passion were of 
short duration, and always followed by a disposition to 
clemency. Those, therefore, who heard this order, 
placed the suttler a few minutes afterwards, in a place 
which the Emperor would have to pass ; and making 
the man kneel, they got a woman and several children 
to kneel at his side, who were to appear as his wife 
and family. Napoleon inquired what they wanted, and 
granted the offender his pardon. 

Belliard, at this time the head of Murat's staff, now 
rode up to him in a very excited state. He reported 
that the enemy had shown himself in full force, in an 
advantageous position, beyond the Wiazma, and ready 
to engage; that the cavalry on both sides had immedi- 
ately come to action; and that the infantry becoming 
necessary, the King of Naples had placed himself at 
the head of one of Davoust's divisions, and ordered 
the advance — when Davoust hastened to the spot and 
commanded them to halt, as he did not approve of the 
intended manoeuvre, and told the king that it was 
absurd and ruinous. Murat had therefore sent to the 
Emperor, declaring that he would no longer hold a dis- 
puted command. Napoleon was enraged at this renewal 
of the quarrel at such a moment, and sent off Berthier 
to place under the command of Murat that division 
which he had intended to lead. Meantime, the contest 



324 CAMP-FIEES OF NAPOLEON. 

was over, and Murat, now reverting to the conduct of 
Davoust, was boiling with indignation. He asked of 
what use was his royal rank ? It could not obtain him 
obedience, or even protect hiin from insult. But as his 
sword had made him a king, to that alone would he 
appeal. It was with the greatest difficulty that he was 
restrained from going to attack Davoust. He then 
cursed his crown, and shed a torrent of tears. Davoust 
did not attempt to excuse the insubordination of his 
conduct, but persisted that Murat had been misled by 
his own temerity, and that the Emperor had been mis- 
informed as to the whole affair with the Russians. 

Napoleon re-entered Wiazrna, and here intelligence 
was brought him from the interior of Ilussia, that the 
government deliberately appropriated all his successes 
to themselves, and that Te Deum had been repeatedly 
celebrated at Petersburg for the Russian "victories" 
of Witepsk and Smolensko ! " Te Deum /" ejaculated 
Napoleon, in amazement — " then they dare to tell lies, 
not only to man but to Grod !" He also learned, that 
while their towns were in flames there was nothing 
but ringing of bells in Petersburg, hymns of gratitude, 
and publications of the triumph of the Russian arms. 

Yet he did not perceive the plan of the Russian 
general. For a time, at least, his usual penetration 
seemed to have been dulled. He remained among the 
smoking ruins of Wiazma, which might have conveyed 
to his mind an ominous lesson of the result of a system 
of tactics to which he was unaccustomed. . But now 
this system, having accomplished its purpose^ was to 
be abandoned. Barclay had persisted in carrying out 



WIAZMA. 



325 



liis plan against all the clamor and imputations of the 
Russians. He was now superseded by Kutusoff, a 
general of the school of Suwarrow ; but the skilful De 
Tolly willingly served under that general. This altera- 
tion of plan, and change of commanders, Napoleon 
learned while at Wiazma. He could now expect a 
battle, and he prepared to render it decisive. He 
advanced to the bloody field of Borodino. 




jEt^ 




TFI2S 8MKP-PMBB AT ©®[E©®Q[S®< 



APOLEON esteemed the battle of 
Borodino, or Moskwa, his " great- 
est feat of arms." But his con- 
duct during the conflict has been 
the subject of much animadver- 
sion, and many critics agree with 
Segur that he did not display upon 
that field his usual splendor and 
power of genius. — But to the incidents of Borodino. 

The Russian army halted at Borodino, and intelli- 
gence was brought tg the Emperor of the French that 
(326) 




BORODINO. 



327 



they were breaking up the whole plain and forming 
intrenchments in every part. Napoleon then announced 
to his troops the approaching battle, and allowed them 
two days rest to prepare their arms and collect their 
provision. 

Napoleon was leading his army onwards farther and 
farther, through pathless deserts, or over ruined fields, 
or towns laid in ashes ; fatigue, famine, and war, were 
reducing his numbers, and he was at every step in- 
creasing his distance from his resources, while his ene- 
mies were in the heart of their own country. Even at 
Wilna, a deficiency had been discovered in the hospital 
department; the evil increased at Witepsk. At Smo- 
lensko, there was no want of hospitals; fifteen large 
brick buildings, saved from the flames, had been set 
apart for this purpose, and there was plenty of wine, 
brandy, and medicines, but there was a dearth of dress- 
ings for the appalling number of wounds. The surgeons 
had already used all that could be procured — had torn 
up their own linen, and at length were obliged to sub- 
stitute the paper found in the city archives. One hos- 
pital, containing a hundred wounded men, was forgot- 
ten, in the stress of difficulties, for the space of three 
whole days. The state of its wretched inmates when 
it was accidentally discovered by Rapp, none of the 
chroniclers of these events have ever attempted to 
describe, and the imagination recoils with horror from 
the attempt to realise it. Napoleon sent them his own 
stock of wine, and many pecuniary gratuities. The 
alarming decrease of numbers noticed at Witepsk was 
still more perceptible now. The army at Smolensko 



328 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

might be computed at about one hundred and fifty- 
seven thousand men, part of the deficiency being caused 
by the occupation of additional territory ; the rest by 
desertion, wounds, sickness, or death. With such a 
force, however, Napoleon had no reason for apprehen- 
sion, if he could bring his enemies to a battle ; but it 
was evident that Barclay had discovered and resolutely 
pursued a more efficient plan. It seems certain, there- 
fore, that Napoleon did entertain thoughts of esta- 
blishing winter-quarters at Smolensko ; of intrenching 
himself strongly, bringing up his reinforcements and 
supplies, and in this central point commanding the 
roads to both the capitals of Russia; waiting proposals 
of peace, or preparing for a fresh campaign in the 
spring. The danger of so long an absence from France ; 
the difficulty of holding together an army composed of 
many different nations ; the news of fresh successes 
achieved by his various leaders in different directions ; 
above all, the impetuosity of his own temperament, 
decided the point. The only doubt which long existed 
was on which of the two capitals to advance. By the 
24th of August, all was decided, and the French army 
was in full march towards Moscow. 

Sixteen thousand recruits, and a vast multitude of 
peasants, joined the ranks of Kutusoff. On the 4th of 
September, the French left Gjatz. The heads of their 
columns were now more than ever annoyed by troops 
of Cossacks, and the frequent necessity of making his 
cavalry deploy against so temporary and random an 
obstacle, provoked Murat to such a degree that he 
once clapped spurs to his horse, and dashing alone to 



BORODINO. 329 

the front of their line, halted within a few paces, and 
waving his sabre with the most indignant and menacing 
authority, signified his command for them to withdraw. 
The sudden apparition of this splendid figure in front 
of their ranks, with the air of one who possessed the 
power of annihilating them with a blow, so took these 
barbarians by surprise that they instantly withdrew in 
vague astonishment. They shortly, however, returned, 
and received the charge of the Italian chasseurs. 
Platoff has since related that in this affair, a Russian 
officer, who had brought a sorcerer with him, was 
wounded; whereupon he ordered the sorcerer to be 
soundly drubbed, as he had expressly directed him 
to turn aside all the balls by his conjurations. 

Napoleon now surveyed the whole country from an 
eminence, and displayed marvellous sagacity in the con- 
clusions he drew as to the positions and intentions of 
the enemy. Vast numbers of troops were posted in 
front of their left, and he concluded that this must be 
the point where their ground was most accessible, and 
that they had there constructed a formidable redoubt. 
It was, therefore, necessary to carry this. The attack 
was general, and the Russian rear-guards were driven 
back upon Borodino. This curtain being removed, the 
first Russian redoubt was discovered. The division of 
Compans attacked it, and the 61st regiment took it at 
the point of the bayonet, Bagration sent reinforce- 
ments, and it was retaken. It was again taken by the 
61st, and this occurred three times, till finally, with the 
loss of half the regiment, it remained in possession of 
the French. But a neighboring wood was swarmin^ 

42 



330 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

with Russian riflemen, and it required the efforts of 
Morand, Poniatowski, and Murat, to complete the con- 
quest. Firing, nevertheless, continued till nightfall. 

Not a single prisoner had been taken. When Napo- 
leon heard this, he asked many questions impatiently. 
Were the Russians determined to conquer or die ? He 
was answered, that their priests and chiefs had wrought 
them up to a state of fanaticism in their love for their 
country and their abhorrence of their invaders. The 
Emperor at this fell into meditation, and concluded that 
a battle of artillery would be the only efficient mode to 
adopt. On that night, a thin, cold rain, began to fall, 
and autumn proclaimed its approach by violent gusts 
of wind. The French slept without fires. 

On the morning of the 6th of September, the two 
armies were again visible to each other, in the same 
position as the preceding day had left them. This 
excited a general joy among the French. At last, this 
desultory, vagrant, and irritating war, in which so many 
brave men had perished, to so little advantage, seemed 
about to come to a satisfactory issue. The Emperor 
rode forth at the earliest dawn, and surveyed the whole 
front of the enemy's army, by passing along a succession 
of eminences that rose between the two antagonist 
powers. 

The Russians were in possession of all the heights, 
on a semi-circle of two leagues extent from the Mosqua 
to the old Moscow road. Their centre, commanded by 
Barclay, formed the salient part of their line ; it was 
protected by the Kalogha, by a ravine, and by two 
strong redoubts at its extremities. Their right and 



BORODINO. 331 

left receded. Their right rested on the precipitous and 
rocky bank of the Kalogha, and was defended by deep 
and muddy ravines. A strong redoubt also crowned 
the height, which was lined with eighty pieces of can- 
non. Bagration commanded the left ; it was stationed 
on a less elevated crest than the centre, and having lost 
the protection of its great redoubt was the most acces- 
sible point of their army. Two small hills crowned 
with redoubts protected its front. It was flanked by a 
wood, beyond which, on the extreme left, was a corps 
commanded by Tutchkoff, but stationed at so great a 
distance as to permit the possibility of manoeuvring on 
the. intervening ground without previously overwhelming 
this detached corps. 

Having concluded his observation, Napoleon made 
his plan. " Eugene," he said, " should be the pivot ; 
the battle must be begun by the right. As soon as the 
right, advancing under the protection of the wood, shall 
have carried the redoubts of the Russian left wing, it 
must turn to the left, march on the Russian flank, over- 
throwing and driving back their whole army upon their 
right wing, and into the Kalogha." Napoleon was still 
on the heights, taking a last view of the ground, and 
considering the details of the grand plan he had formed, 
when Davoust hastily approached him. The marshal 
had a proposal of his own to make, by which he 
expected to turn the enemy's left in the night, and by 
surprise. The Emperor listened to him with great 
attention, but after silently considering the proposition 
for a few minutes, rejected it, and persisted in his rejec- 
tion, notwithstanding the confidence with which it was 



V 

332 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

urged by Davoust. He then re-entered his tent, when 
Murat pertinaciously strove to persuade him that the 
Russians would again retreat before he commenced his 
attack. The Emperor in some agitation returned to the 
heights of Borodino, where, however, every indication 
of an intention to remain and fight was observable 
among the Russians. He had taken very few attend- 
ants, to avoid being recognized by the enemy's batteries ; 
but at the moment he was pointing out the signs he had 
observed to Murat, the discharge of one of their cannon 
broke the silence of the day; — "for it is. frequently 
the case," observes Segur, " that nothing is so calm as 
the day which precedes a great battle." 

The Emperor now returned to his tent to dictate the 
order of battle. The two armies were nearly equal, — 
about a hundred and twenty thousand men, and six 
hundred pieces of cannon on each side. The Russians 
had the best position, and the additional advantages of 
speaking the same language, wearing the-same uniform, 
and fighting for a common cause ; and of being near 
their resources, and in their own country ; but they had 
too many raw recruits in their ranks. The army of 
Napoleon had just completed a long and harassing 
march ; was made up of many nations, and in the midst 
of a hostile people ; but it was entirely composed of 
tried soldiers, who had fought their way through many 
a desperate battle, and held their ranks through every 
hardship. The proclamation issued by- Napoleon was 
suited to the men and the circumstances. It was grave, 
simple, and energetic. u Soldiers," said he, " you have 
now before you the battle which you have so long 



BORODINO. 333 

desired. From this moment, the victory depends upon 
yourselves. It is necessary for *js ; it will bring us 
abundance, good winter quarters, and a speedy return 
to our country." It happened that the Emperor had 
that day received the portrait of his son from Paris. He 
himself exhibited the picture in front of his tent. 

Kutusoff, on his part, had worked upon the feelings 
of the Russians by means suited to their condition. He 
had induced the chief priests or popes of the Greek 
church, dressed in their richest robes, to walk in splendid 
procession before his army. They carried the symbols 
of their religion, and foremost of all a sacred image of 
the Virgin, withdrawn from Smolensko by a miracle. 
He then addressed the soldiers on the subject of heaven, 
" the only country which slaves have left to them," — 
and incited the serfs to defend their masters property 
in the name of the Great Teacher of universal brother- 
hood. The whole ceremony worked the effect which 
he intended, and roused his hearers to the highest pitch 
of courage and fanaticism. 

During the night, the whole French army was sta- 
tioned in order of battle, and three batteries, of sixty 
pieces each, were opposed to the Russian redoubts. 
Poniatowski commanded the right wing, which was 
destined to commence the attack on the Russian left. 
The whole of the artillery were to support his attack. 
Davoust and Ney, supported by Junot, with the West- 
phalians, and Murat with the cavalry, were in the 
centre, and ready to precipitate themselves upon the 
Russians after the opening of the battle by Ponia- 
towski. Prince Eugene, with the army of Italy, and 



334 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

the Bavarian cavalry, formed the left. The Emperor 
held his guard in reserve*. He appeared very unwell, 
depressed in spirits, and unable to sleep. He was 
oppressed with fever and excessive thirst, probably the 
result of over fatigue and anxiety. The news of the 
defeat of his troops at Salamanca, had just been 
brought to him by Fabvier, an aid-de-camp of Mar- 
mont ; but he received the account with great firmness 
and temper. Present events only seemed to weigh 
on his mind. He repeatedly called to ascertain the 
hour, and to inquire whether any sounds indicative of a 
retreat had been heard in the opposite army. On one 
occasion his aid-de-camp found him resting his head on 
his hands, and the few words he said indicated that his 
thoughts were dwelling on the vanity of human glory. 
He asked Rapp, whether he thought they should gain 
the victory? "Undoubtedly," answered Rapp, "but 
it will be a bloody one !" On which Napoleon replied, 
" I know it ; but I have eighty thousand men. I shall 
lose twenty thousand of them, and with sixty thousand 
shall enter Moscow. The stragglers will there rejoin 
us, and afterwards the battalions of recruits now on 
their march, and we shall be stronger than before 
the battle." He seemed neither to comprehend the 
guard nor the cavalry in this calculation. Before day- 
break, one of Ney's officers announced the Russians* 
still in view, and asked leave to begin the attack. These 
words restored the Emperor. He rose ; summoned his 
officers; and leaving his tent exclaimed, "At last we 
have them! March! — We will to-day open for our- 
selves the gates of Moscow '" 



BORODINO. 335 

It was half-past five in the morning, when Napoleon 
took his station near the great redoubt which had been 
taken on the 5th. As the sun rose, he pointed to the 
east, saying, " There is the sun of Austerlitz !" The 
artillery were employed in pushing forward the bat- 
teries which had been placed too far back. The Rus- 
sians made no opposition ; they seemed fearful of being 
the first to break the awful silence. While waiting for 
the sound of Poniatowski's fire on the right, Napoleon 
ordered Eugene to take the village of Borodino, on the 
left. The 106th regiment accordingly opened the 
attack ; gained the village ; rushed across the bridge, 
in the ardor of success, and would have been cut off 
had not the 9 2d come up to their relief. During this 
action, sounds on the right announced that Poniatowski 
had commenced his attack, and Napoleon immediately 
gave the signal of battle. " Then, suddenly," says 
Segur, " from the previously peaceful plain and silent 
hills, burst forth flashes of fire and clouds of smoke, 
which were instantly followed by a multitude of explo- 
sions and the whizzing of innumerable bullets which 
rent the air on every side. In the midst of this thun- 
der, Davoust, with the divisions of Compans and 
Desaix, and thirty cannon, advanced rapidly upon the 
first redoubt of the enemy." The fusillade of the 
Russians now commenced, and was answered by the 
French cannon. The French infantry advanced at 
a quick pace, without firing; but General Compans, 
who headed the column, fell wounded with the fore- 
most of his men, and the rest halted under the storm 
of balls. Rapp instantly took the post of Compans, 



o 



36 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



and urged the troops forward at a running pace with 
charged bayonets, when he also fell. It was the 
twenty-second wound that he had received. He was 
conveyed to the Emperor, who exclaimed, "What! 
Rapp ! always wounded ! but how are they going on 
above there ?" The aid-de-camp replied, that the guard 
was wanted to finish the business. " No," said Napo- 
leon, " I will take good care of that ; I will not have 
that destroyed. I will gain the battle without it." 
A third general, who succeeded Rapp, likewise fell; 
and Davoust himself was struck. At this moment, 
Ney, with his three divisions of ten thousand men, 
threw himself into the plain to support Davoust, and 
the Russian fire was thus diverted. Ney rushed 
on; Davoust' s columns continued their advance with 
renewed confidence ; and almost at the same time both 
of the French divisions scaled the heights ; overthrew 
or killed their defenders, and obtained possession of 
both the redoubts of the Russian left. Napoleon then 
ordered Murat to charge and complete the victory.. 
The king was on the heights in an instant ; but the 
Russians, reinforced by their second line, now advanced 
with rapidity to regain their redoubts. The French 
were taken by surprise in the first disorder of their 
success, and retreated. Murat, endeavoring in vain 
to rally the troops, found himself nearly surrounded, 
and alone amidst the enemy's cavalry. They were 
even stretching out their arms to take, him prisoner, 
when he escaped by throwing himself into one of the 
redoubts. There he found only a few soldiers- in utter 
disorder. They were running backwards and forwards 



BORODINO. 337 

upon the parapet in consternation ; but he seized the 
first weapon he could find, and fought with one hand, 
while he waved his plumed hat in the air with the 
other. His presence and his rallying calls to duty soon 
restored the courage of the men. Ney quickly re- 
formed his divisions ; his fire threw the Russians into 
disorder ; Murat was extricated ; and the heights re- 
conquered. Murat was no sooner freed from this danger 
than he furiously and repeatedly charged the enemy at 
the head of the French cavalry, and in another hour 
the Russian left wing was entirely defeated. 

In the meantime, a dreadful conflict had raged unceas- 
ingly on the French left. After Eugene had taken 
the village of Borodino, he had passed the Kalogha, in 
front of the .great Russian redoubt, which was lined 
with eighty pieces of cannon, and protected by a ravine. 
General Bonnamy, at the head of eighteen hundred 
men of the 30th regiment, carried this strong position 
by one sudden charge, at six o'clock in the morning. 
But the Russians recovered from their first panic; and, 
rallying before their assailants could be supported, they 
were headed by Kutusoff and Yermdof in person, and 
made an attack in their turn. Bonnamy's regiment 
was surrounded, overwhelmed, and driven from the 
redoubt, with the loss of its commander and one-third 
of its numbers. Eugene, however, maintained his 
station on the sloping sides of the heights for four 
hours, under a terrific fire, and, until he was relieved by 
the turn of the battle, when Kutusoff was obliged to 
defend the left of his centre, now exposed in consequence 
of the defeat of his left wing by the divisions of Ney, 

43 



338 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

Davoust, and Murat as already detailed. The defence 
of Kutusoff was then carried on at two points. He 
poured a tremendous fire, with devastating effect, upon 
the troops of Ney and Murat, from the heights of the 
ruined village of Semenowska. It became necessary to 
carry that position. Maubourg swept the front of it 
with his cavalry ; Friand and Dufour, with their infantry, 
mounted the acclivity, dislodged the Russians, and 
secured the position. The Russians had now lost every 
one of^ their intrenchments except the great redoubt, 
on which Prince Eugene was preparing for a decisive 
attack. He had already sent to Napoleon for assistance, 
but received the reply, that " he could give him no 
relief ; it depended on him alone to conquer ; that the 
battle was concentrated on that point." Murat and 
Ney, exhausted with their efforts, also sent for reinforce- 
ments ; but Napoleon concluded that the presence of 
Friand and Maubourg on the heights would maintain 
them, and he saw that the battle was not yet won. 
Amidst all the excitement of these repeated and mos.t 
urgent messages, he steadily refused to compromise his 
reserve. 

The Russians now rallied en masse. Kutusoff com- 
manded all his reserves, and even the Russian guard, 
to the assistance of his uncovered left. Infantry, artil- 
lery, and cavalry, all advanced for one grand and mighty 
effort. Ney and Murat, with intrepidity and firmness, 
sustained the rushing tempest. It was no time for 
them to think of following up their previous successes ; 
all their strength was required to maintain 4:heir posi- 
tion. Friand's soldiers, ranged in front of the armed 



BORODINO. 339 

heights of Semenowska, were swept off in whole ranks 
by a storm of grape-shot. The survivors were dismayed, 
and one of their brave commanders ordered a retreat; 
when Murat suddenly rode up to hira, and catching 
hold of his collar, exclaimed, — "What are you doing?" 
The colonel, pointing to the ground on which half of 
his men lay dead or wounded, replied — " You see we 
can stay here no longer !" Murat hastily rejoined — "I 
can stay here very well myself!" The colonel looked 
steadily at him, and calmly replied — " It is right. Sol- 
diers ! let us advance to be slain !" 

Murat had again sent to Napoleon for assistance, and 
he now gave it promptly and efficiently. The artillery 
of the guard were ordered to advance. Eighty pieces 
of cannon quickly crowned the heights, and discharged 
their contents at once. The Russian cavalry first 
charged against this tremendous barrier, but retired in 
confusion to escape destruction. The infantry exhibited 
a spectacle of stolid indifference to death, or devotion 
to their country and their leaders, perhaps unparalleled 
in the history of war, — affording a picture of the inherent 
powers of human nature, worthy of study, while most 
horrible to contemplate in their present misapplication. 
" The infantry," says Segur, " advanced in thick masses, 
in which our balls from the first made wide and deep 
openings ; yet they constantly came on nearer and 
nearer, when the French batteries redoubling the rapidity 
of their fire, absolutely mowed them down with grape- 
shot. Whole platoons fell at once. Their soldiers 
struggled to preserve their compactness under this terri- 
ble fire ; and, divided every instant by death, they still 



340 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

closed their ranks over it, trampling it with defiance 
under their feet. At last they halted, not daring to 
advance any farther, and yet resolved not to go back ; 
whether they were appalled, and as it were petrified 
with horror in this tremendous gulph of destruction; 
or whether it was owing to Bagration being at that time 
mortally wounded ; or whether it might be that a first 
arrangement being attended with failure, their generals 
felt incompetent to change it, — not possessing, like 
Napoleon, the art of moving such vast bodies at once, 
with unity, harmony, and order. In short, these heavy 
and stationary masses stood to be crushed and destroyed 
in detail for two entire hours, ivitkout any other move- 
ment than that of the falling of the men. It was in truth 
a deplorable and frightful massacre ; and the intelligent 
valor of the French artillerymen admired the firm, 
resigned, but infatuated courage of their enemies." 
Scott describes the scene to the same effect. " Regi- 
ments of peasants, who till that day had never seen 
war, and who still had no other uniform than their 
grey jackets, formed with the steadiness of veterans, 
crossed their brows, and having uttered their national 
exclamation 6 Gosjwdee pomiloai nas f (God have mercy 
upon us,) rushed into the thickest of the battle, where 
the survivors, without feeling fear or astonishment, 
closed their ranks over their comrades as. they fell." 

The problem, of whether that mass of men would 
have stood to be utterly destroyed to the last individual, 
was never worked out; for a fresh movement in the 
French army, bringing upon them a new form of peril, 
at last restored them to a sense of their human condi- 



BORODINO. 341 

tions, and put them to flight. Ney extended his right, 
pushed it rapidly forward, and, seconded by Davoust 
and Murat, turned the left of the Russian centre, and 
dispersed them. The battle still raged on the Russian 
right, — where Barclay, intrenched in the great redoubt, 
obstinately struggled with Prince Eugene, — and on their 
extreme left, where Poniatowski had as yet failed to 
make himself master of the great Moscow road. When 
another pressing demand for "the guard, to complete 
the destruction of the Russian army, was brought to 
Napoleon from Ney and Murat, who burned to follow 
up the retreat of the defeated infantry, he pointed in 
silence to those two conflicting bodies. The Emperor's 
words ought to be satisfactory as to the cause of his 
refusal to send his reserve, which has occasioned so 
many animadversions. "The case," he said, "was not 
sufficiently extricated and conclusive to induce him 
yet to part with his reserves ; and that he must see 
more clearly the state of his chess-board." When 
Count Daru, at the pressing solicitation of Berthier, 
repeated the request, and said in a low tone "that on 
all sides the cry now was that the moment for the guard 
to act was come," Napoleon replied, " And if there 
should be a second battle on the morrow, what shall I 
have to carry it on with ?" 

Kutusoff was still unconquered. He rallied for the 
third time, and resting his right on the great redoubt, 
formed a fresh line in front of Ney and Murat ; but it 
was a last effort. General Caulaincourt, at the head of 
the fifth French cuirassiers, made a desperate charge 
on the rear of the redoubt, while Eugene maintained 



342 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

his ground in the front. The last words of Caulain- 
court, as he left Murat to open the attack, had been, 
"You shall see me there immediately, dead or alive !"« 
He charged at the head of his regiment, overthrew all 
opposition, and was the first man who penetrated into 
the redoubt, where, almost at the instant, he fell mor- 
tally wounded; but that decisive charge determined 
the victory. The troops of Prince Eugene were press- 
ing onwards, and had nearly reached the mouth of the 
battery, when suddenly its fire was extinguished, its 
smoke dispersed, and above the now silent engines of 
destruction appeared the moveable and polished brass 
which covered the French cuirassiers. The Russians 
had been driven from their last entrenchment. They 
returned with one more desperate effort to retake this 
position, as if determined to die rather than endure 
defeat. Their column advanced to the very mouths of 
the cannon, but at the terrible discharge of thirty pieces 
of artillery, which were directed against them, they 
appeared to be whirled round by the shock, and retired 
without being able to deploy. Officers now came in 
from every part of the field. Poniatowski, supported 
by Sebastiani, had conquered on the left, after a 
desperate struggle. The sounds of firing became weaker 
and less frequent. The Russians had retreated to a 
new position, where they appeared to be intrenching 
themselves. The day was drawing to a close, and the 
battle was ended. 

Napoleon had remained nearly on the same spot 
throughout the whole of the battle, seated on the edge 
of a trench, or walking backwards and forwards on an 



BORODINO. 343 

elevated platform. He now mounted his horse, and 
slowly passed amidst the heaps of dead and wounded 
till he reached the heights of Semenowska. He said 
little ; but the few words he uttered implied that he 
felt his victory had cost him too dear. He then repaired 
to his tent to write the bulletin of the battle, and made 
a point of announcing to France that neither himself 
nor his reserve had been subject to the least danger, — 
thus manifesting the confidence he felt in the opinion 
entertained of him by the French ; and, at the same 
time, informing Europe that notwithstanding his dis- 
tance from France, and while surrounded by enemies in 
a hostile country, he was still safe and powerful. 

" It has been frequently asserted," says Count Ma- 
thieu Dumas, intendant general of the army, "that 
Napoleon did not display his customary activity on this 
day. 

" His apparent indifference has excited astonishment ; 
it has been intimated that he labored under bodily ex- 
haustion ; that he was not able to call into action all 
the resources of his genius ; in short, that his star be- 
gan to grow dim, even in the midst of victory. Napo- 
leon certainly appeared to be indisposed ; he had 
undergone excessive fatigue during the two preceding 
nights, which he had employed in person in reconnoiter- 
ing/the positions of the enemy, in placing the corps of 
the army, and in determining the point of attack. 
Having formed his plans to compel the enemy to aban- 
don their strong position, he would not consent to make 
any change in the arrangements which he had resolved 
upon after profound consideration. He placed himself 



344 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

at a short distance from his right wing, against which 
it was probable that the Russian general would direct 
his principal effort, in order to take the attacking 
columns in the rear, while they should be stopped by 
the fire of the redoubts. The station which Napoleon 
had chosen, was, in fact, the best point of observation. 
It commanded a view of the whole field of battle, and 
if any manoeuvre, any partial success of the enemy, 
had required new measures, the vigilance of Napoleon 
would not have failed to meet the urgency of the case. 
He would have gone to the spot in person, as he did at 
the battle of Wagram. 

" About nine o'clock in the evening, Count Daru and 
myself were summoned to the Emperor. His bivouac 
was in the middle of the square battalion of his guard, 
a little behind the redoubt. His supper had just been 
served ; he was alone, and made us sit down on his 
right and left hand. After having heard the account of 
the measures taken for the relief of the wounded, &c, 
he spoke to us of the issue of the battle ; a moment 
afterwards he fell asleep for about twenty minutes ; 
then, suddenly waking, he continued thus : c People 
will be astonished that I did not bring up my reserves 
to obtain more decisive results ; but it was necessary 
to keep them, in order to strike a decisive blow in the 
great battle which the enemy will offer us before Mos- 
cow : the success of the day was secured ; I had to 
think of the success of the campaign, and it is for that 
I keep my reserves.'" 

The Emperor was mistaken in supposing that there 
would be another great battle before Moscow ; but in all 



BORODINO. 345 

other particulars, his sagacity was admirably displayed. 
Still, Borodino was far from decisive. Before day- 
break the next morning, there was an alarm among 
the French, which penetrated even to the tent of the 
Emperor, and the old guard was called to arms. This 
was mortifying after a victory, and carried with it an 
air of insult. As soon as morning dawned, the losses of 
the armies were ascertained by Napoleon. 

Ten thousand men had been killed, and the wounded 
amounted to no less than twenty thousand. Forty- 
three generals had been killed or wounded. Among 
the Russians, there had been fifteen thousand killed, 
including the gallant Prince Bagration, and thirty thou- 
sand wounded. The French carried their wounded two 
leagues in the rear, to the large monastery of Kolotskoi. 
The chief surgeon, Larrey, had taken assistants from all 
the other regiments, and the hospital wagons had arrived 
— but all that could be done for the conveyance was 
insufficient. Larrey subsequently complained that not 
sufficient troops had been left to enable him to obtain 
the necessary articles from the surrounding villages. 

When the Emperor inspected the field of battle, 
every thing concurred to increase its horrors. A gloomy 
sky, a cold rain, a violent wind, habitations in ashes, a 
plain absolutely torn up and covered with fragments 
and ruins, rendered the scene of carnage yet more 
appalling. The dark and funereal verdure of the north 
was seen all round the horizon. Soldiers were roaming 
like wild beasts among the bodies of their dead com- 
rades, and emptying their knapsacks to procure subsist- 
ence for themselves. The wounds of the slain were 

44 



3^6 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

of the most hideous description, occasioned by the 
large bullets used by the Russians. The bivouacs were 
mournful ; no songs of triumph, no lively narrations, — 
all dreary and silent. Around the eagles were the rest 
of the officers and subalterns, and a few soldiers, — 
barely sufficient to guard the colours. Their uniforms 
were torn by the violence of the conflict, blackened 
with powder, and stained with blood; yet even amidst 
their rags, their misery, and destitution, they displayed 
a lofty bearing, and on the appearance of Napoleon 
welcomed him with acclamations. 

Many wounded men were found in the bottom of 
ravines, where the French troops had been precipitated, 
or where they had dragged themselves for shelter from 
the enemy or the storm. Some of the younger soldiers 
in sighs and groans were calling upon the name of their 
country, or of their mother ; but most of the veterans 
awaited death either with an impassive or a sardonic 
air, neither imploring or complaining. The anguish of 
some of the wounded made them beg of their comrades, 
as a mercy, to kill them instantly. Among the Rus- 
sians, the enormous number of wounded presented on 
every side a spectacle of moving horrors. Many of 
these mutilated objects were seen dragging themselves 
with bloody trails along the ground, towards places 
where they might find shelter among a heap of dead 
bodies. Napoleon's horse chancing to tread upon the 
body of one apparently dead, a cry of anguish startled 
him, and excited his compassion. Somebody remarked 
that " it was only a Russian ;" — upon which Napoleon 
angrily reproved the speaker, and observed that, "after 



BORODINO. 



347 



a battle, none were enemies, — but all were men." The 
Emperor ordered the prisoners that had been taken, to 
be again numbered, and a few dismounted cannon to be 
collected. Between seven and eight hundred prisoners, 
and a score of unserviceable cannon, were the sole 
trophies of this most sanguinary and imperfect victory. 





TO!! (S&EP-lFaiBg &H MmmW< 




THE Russians themselves 
kindled Napoleon's camp- 
fire at Moscow. They 
lighted his bivouacs with 
the flames of their ancient 
capital, and thus gave him 
an awful proof of their invincible opposition to the 
invader. 

After the battle of Borodino, Napoleon found the road 
to Moscow open, and advanced rapidly towards the 
conquest he had so long desired. The city of his 
hopes has been thus described : 

"Moscow was an immense and singular assemblage 
(348) 



Moscow. 349 

of two hundred and ninety-five churches, and fifteen 
hundred splendid habitations, together with their gar- 
dens and offices. These palaces, built of brick, with the 
grounds attached to them, intermingled with handsome 
wooden houses, and even with cottages, were scattered 
over several square leagues of unequal surface, and 
were grouped around a lofty, triangular palace, whose 
vast and double inclosure, comprising two divisions, 
and about half a league in circumference, included — one 
of them — several palaces and churches, and a quantity 
of uncultivated and stony ground ; the other, a vast 
bazaar — a city of merchants — exhibiting the opulence 
of the four quarters of the world. These buildings, 
shops as well as palaces, were all covered with polished 
and colored plates of iron. The churches, which were 
each of them surmounted by a terrace, and by several 
steeples terminating in gilded globes, the crescent, and 
finally the cross, recalled to mind the history of the 
people. They represented Asia and her religion, first 
triumphant, then subdued ; and finally the crescent of 
Mahomet under the dominion of the cross of Christ. 
A single sunbeam made this superb city glitter with a 
thousand varied colors ; and the enchanted traveller 
halted in ecstacy at the sight. It recalled to his mind 
the dazzling prodigies with which oriental poets had 
amused his infancy." 

Count Eostopchin had been appointed governor of 
Moscow. 

As the- French army approached the capital, terror 
began to prevail among the inhabitants ; and, after the 
taking of Smolensko, many of the wealthy classes 



350 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

removed their most valuable effects, and left the city, 
The governor secretly encouraged this gradual emigra- 
tion, though he ostensibly maintained a complete confi- 
dence of success in the Russian cause, and kept up the 
spirits of the people by false reports and loyal declara- 
tions. Among other contrivances, he employed a num- 
ber of females in the construction of an immense balloon, 
out of which, as he made the people believe, he would 
pour down a shower of fire upon the French army. 
Under this pretence, he is said to have collected a 
quantity of combustibles destined for a purpose widely 
different from this aeronautic fiction. The panic at Mos- 
cow at length became general, and not only the nobility 
and higher classes in general, but tradesmen, mechanics, 
and even the poor, left it by thousands. The public 
archives and treasures were removed ; the magazines 
emptied, as far as time permitted. The roads, especially 
those to the south, were covered with a long train of 
carriages of every description, and with successive 
crowds of fugitives on foot, the priests leading the way 
laden with the symbols of their religion, and singing 
mournful hymns of lamentation. 

Kutusoff, with his retreating army, now appeared 
without the walls, and intrenched himself strongly in 
the position of Fili. He had ninety thousand men 
under his command, of whom six thousand were Cos- 
sacks, large numbers of recruits having been added to 
his ranks since the great battle ; and it appears certain 
that he still entertained some intention of defending the 
capital. This purpose, however, was speedily relin- 
quished. On the 14th of September, he broke up his 



Moscow. 351 

camp, and his army continued its retreat, passing 
through Moscow, which was to be abandoned to its fate. 
The troops marched along the deserted streets with 
furled banners and silent drums ; and passed out at the 
Kalomna gate. Some of the officers were observed to 
shed tears of rage and shame. With an army of ninety 
thousand men, in their own country, and with the con- 
stant power of retreating upon their resources, it is no 
wonder that all the braver spirits among the Russians 
felt this humiliating policy most deeply. 

The long columns of retreat were followed by the 
garrison and all the remaining population, with the 
exception of one class, left there for a special pur- 
pose. Before his own departure, Rostopchin opened the 
prisons, and let loose their miserable and degraded 
inmates, to the number of three or four hundred, having 
given them a secret task to perform. The pumps of 
the city had all been removed or destroyed, and torches 
and combustibles in great quantities collected. Rostop- 
chin then left the city. 

Napoleon subsequently made the calculation that a 
hundred thousand of the inhabitants, thus abandoned 
and forced to fly from Moscow, perished in the woods 
of the neighborhood for want of food and shelter. In 
the midst of their despair at the very last, the multi- 
tude had been roused to an excitement of hope and 
confidence by the sight of a vulture caught in the 
chains which supported the cross of the principal 
church. This, they hailed as an omen that God was 
about to deliver Napoleon into their hands. " What,'' 
says Hazlitt, " can subdue a nation who can be thus 



352 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

easily deluded by the grossest appearances ; and whose 
whole physical strength, to inflict or to endure, can be 
wielded mechanically, and in mass, in proportion to 
their want of understanding ? Certainly, ignorance is 
power." 

On the same day that the Russian army retreated 
through Moscow, and even before their rear-guard had 
cleared the city, Murat penetrated the suburbs, and 
Eugene and Poniatowski opened an attack at the gates. 
Napoleon himself with his guard gained the summit of 
the "Mount of Salvation," the last height which hid 
his long desired conquest from his view, about two 
o'clock in the afternoon, and saw the immense city glit- 
tering with a thousand colors in the sun, — a strange 
and magnificent sight in the midst of the desert. The 
troops halted involuntarily, struck with admiration, and 
loudly exclaimed, — " Moscow ! Moscow !" in a transport 
of joy. The marshals crowded with congratulations 
around the Emperor. He, also, had suddenly paused, 
in evident exultation. His first exclamation was, — : 
" There at last, then, is that famous city !" — presently 
adding, — " It was high time !" 

A flag of truce from Miloradowitch, who commanded 
the Russian rear-guard, met the Emperor at this point. 
He came to announce that his guard would set fire to 
Moscow if he were not allowed time to evacuate it. An 
armistice of two hours were granted him immediately. 
Napoleon's eager eye was fixed on the city, as on a 
vision he was just about to realise. He expected every 
moment to see a deputation issue from the gates to lay 
its wealth, its population, its senate, and its nobility at 



Moscow, 353 

his feet. The troops of the two nations were inter- 
mingled for a few minutes. Murat was soon surrounded 
by a crowd of Cossacks, extolling his personal prowess 
by signs and gesticulations, and intoxicating him with 
their admiration. He distributed the watches of his 
officers among these barbarian warriors, one of whom 
denominated him his " Hetman." It began to look like 
an almost immediate peace ; and Napoleon indulged in 
dreams of success and glory for two hours. In the 
mean time, the day was drawing to a close, and Moscow 
remained sad, silent, and death-like. Napoleon became 
anxious; the soldiers almost uncontrollably impatient. 
A few officers penetrated into the city, and a rumor 
began to spread that " Moscow was deserted !" Napo- 
leon repelled the intelligence with irritation ; he, how- 
ever, descended the hill, and advanced towards the 
Dorogomilow gate. Here he again halted, but in vain ; 
all remained motionless as before. Murat urged him to 
penetrate into the city; he refused for some time, 
shrinking perhaps from having the truth forced upon his 
conviction. At last he gave the order, " Enter then, 
since they will have it so !" — recommending, at the same 
time, the strictest discipline. Calling Daru to his side, 
he said aloud, " Moscow deserted ! a most unlikely 
event ! We must enter it, and ascertain the fact. Go 
and bring the boyars (landed proprietors) before me." 
Daru went, and returned. Not a single Muscovite was 
to be found : — " No smoke," says Segur, " was seen 
ascending from the meanest hearth; nor was the slightest 
noise to be heard throughout that populous and extensive 
city, its three* hundred thousand inhabitants seeming all 

45 



354 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

dumb and motionless as by enchantment. There was 
the silence of the desert. 

After Daru, another officer, earnest to accomplish 
whatever the Emperor desired, appeared, driving before 
him five or six of those miserable beings who had been 
freed from prison, and left in Moscow for an important 
purpose. Then it was that Napoleon ceased to doubt 
the truth. Murat, with his long and close column of 
cavalry, had entered Moscow upwards of an hour since. 
They found it as yet uninjured, but without signs of 
life. Awed by the silence of this immense solitude, 
the troops passed onwards without uttering a word, 
listening to the hollow sound of their horses' feet re- 
echoed from the walls of these deserted palaces. They 
never appeared even to think of plundering. Suddenly 
the report of small arms was heard. The column halted. 
The discharge had been made from the walls of the 
Kremlin, the gates of which were closed. It was 
defended by a squalid rout of men and women of most 
disgusting and villanous aspect, who were in a state of 
bestial drunkenness, uttering savage yells and the most 
horrible imprecations. As they would listen to no 
terms, the gates were forced, and these ferocious mis- 
creants were immediately driven away. Five hundred 
recruits, who had been forgotten, were left behind in 
the Kremlin, but they offered no resistance, and dis- ■ 
persed at the first summons. Several thousand strag- 
glers and deserters also surrendered themselves volun- 
tarily to the advanced guard. Murat scarcely bestowed 
a minute's delay on the Kremlin. After marching over 
so many leagues, and fighting so many battles to reach 



Moscow. 355 

Moscow, he passed through that magnificent city with- 
out once halting to notice it ; and, ardent in his pur- 
suit of the Russians, dashed forwards into the road to 
Voladimir and Asia. Several thousand Cossacks were 
retreating in that direction; and upon these Murat 
ordered a discharge of carbines. 

Napoleon did not enter Moscow before night. He 
appointed Mortier governor of the city. " Above all," 
said he, " no pillage." During the night, many reports 
were brought him of the intended burning of the 
capital, but he would not credit the statements. He 
was, however, unable to sleep, and continually called 
his attendants to repeat to him what they had heard. 
About two o'clock in the morning he was apprised that 
the flames had broken out at the merchants' palace, or 
exchange, which was in the centre of the city. He 
gave orders, and dispatched messages with the greatest 
rapidity. At daylight, he hurried to Mortier, who 
showed him houses covered with iron roofs, and closely ■ 
shut up, from which a black smoke was already issuing. 
They had not been broken into, but were evidently 
fired from the inside. Napoleon entered the Kremlin 
thoughtful and melancholy; yet when beholding this 
stupendous palace of the ancestral sovereigns of Rus- 
sia, his ambition was gratified by the conquest, and he 
murmured after a pause — " I am at length then in Mos- 
cow ! — in the ancient City of the Czars ! — in the 
Kremlin !" In this brief moment of satisfaction, he 
wrote a pacific overture to the Emperor Alexander, and 
dispatched it by a Russian officer who had been dis- 
covered in the great hospital. 



356 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

The flames had been checked by the exertions of the 
Duke of Treviso. Meantime, the incendiaries kept 
themselves so well concealed that their existence was 
much doubted. Regulations were now issued; order 
established; and officers and men proceeded to take 
possession of some convenient house, or sumptuous 
palace, wherein to rest and recruit themselves after so 
many hardships, dangers, and privations. Two officers, 
however, having taken up their quarters in one of the 
buildings of the Kremlin, were awoke about midnight 
by an overpowering glare of light in the room. Start- 
ing up, they looked out and saw palaces in flames. The 
wind was driving the flames directly towards the 
Kremlin. Presently the wind changed, and the de- 
vouring element was carried in an opposite direction. 
Observing this, the officers, rendered selfish by long 
fatigue and privation, fell asleep again. But they were 
once more aroused by a new burst of still fiercer light. 
They observed flames rising in a totally different 
quarter, which the changed wind was now urging 
directly towards the Kremlin. Three times the wind 
changed, and three times did new flames burst out 
from different quarters of the city, and blaze onwards 
towards the Kremlin. 

The Kremlin contained a magazine of powder, of 
which the French were not aware, and the guards, 
overpowered by wine and fatigue, had left a whole 
park of artillery under the Emperor's windows. Soon 
the flames licked the palace from all sides, and the air 
was filled with flakes of fire. Mortier and hi§ brother 
officers, exhausted by their efforts to subdue the con- 



Moscow. 357 

flagration, returned to the Kremlin, and fell down in 
despair. The real cause of the fire was soon placed 
beyond all doubt. The reports agreed that a globe of 
fire had been lowered upon the palace of one of the 
Russian princes, which had consumed it, on the first 
night of their entrance, and that this was a signal to 
the incendiaries. 

Men of atrocious look and tattered garments, and 
frantic women, had been seen roaming amidst the 
flames, and thus completing a hideous resemblance of 
the infernal world. They were the malefactors whom 
Rostopchin had let loose from the prisons, and commis- 
sioned to execute this tremendous deed as the price 
of their liberation and pardon. Most thoroughly did 
they fulfil their trust : and, becoming delirious with 
intoxication, with excitement, and entire success, they 
no longer concealed themselves, but ran to and fro with 
diabolical yells, like furies, waving lighted brands round 
their heads. The French could not make them drop 
their torches, except by slashing at their naked arms 
with sabres. Orders were instantly given to shoot 
every incendiary on the spot. The army was drawn 
out. The old guard, which had been quartered in the 
Kremlin, took arms, and their horses and baggage 
quickly filled the courts. Masters of Moscow, they 
were obliged to seek their bivouac outside its gates. 

Napoleon was awoke by the blaze and uproar of the 
conflagration. It was impossible for him any longer tc 
fortify himself with incredulity and scorn. On per- 
ceiving that the city was really on fire, in almost every 
quarter, he gave way to his first feelings of rage, and a 



358 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

passionate resolve to master the devouring element; 
but he presently recovered himself, and silently yielded 
to what he saw was inevitable. His inward agitation, 
however, was excessive. He seemed parched by the 
flames as he gazed at their fury. He continually sat 
down, and then abruptly started up, and traversed his 
apartments with rapidity. Again he seated himself, 
and began to transact most urgent business ; yet every 
now and then he started up, and ran to the windows, 
uttering short and broken exclamations as he traced the 
progress of the flames : " What a frightful spectacle ! 
To have clone it themselves ! Such a number of palaces ! 
What extraordinary resolution !" There is something 
extremely fine in this power of standing apart from the 
scene, even while in the midst of such an excitement 
and danger, and admiring the forces brought into action, 
even though to his own utter destruction. 

A report was now circulated that the Kremlin was 
undermined. Several Russian prisoners had affirmed 
this ; certain writings attested it. Some of the attend-, 
ants lost their senses with terror ; the military awaited 
with firmness whatever Napoleon and their destiny 
should decide ; but he noticed the alarm only by a smile 
of incredulity. Meantime, the conflagration raged with 
increasing violence, and they all began to inhale the 
smoke and ashes. Still Napoleon would not depart. 
He walked to and fro with convulsive energy. 

Night was again approaching. The glare of the 
flames became more brilliant as the shades closed round, 
and he saw the devouring element seizing upon all the 
bridges, and all the accesses to the fortress which 



Moscow. 359 

inclosed him, while the wind blew with redoubled vio- 
lence. At this crisis, Prince Eugene and Murat arrived 
in breathless haste, most earnestly, and even on their 
knees, beseeching Napoleon to leave the palace. All 
their efforts, however, were in vain. Suddenly, a cry 
was heard, — "The Kremlin is on fire!" The words 
were echoed from every part of the building. The Em- 
peror left his apartment that he might himself judge of 
the danger. A Russian soldier of police had been 
detected in the act. He had received a signal, and 
given the watchword. The exasperated grenadiers put 
an end to him with tfc&r bayonets. It was evident 
that there had been an organized plan to burn even the 
Kremlin. This incident decided Napoleon, and he 
rapidly descended the northern staircase. 

A guide had been called to conduct Napoleon and his 
attendants through the Kremlin and out of the city. 
Segur has given a terrific description of the dangers 
which they had to encounter on their way. According 
to him, they were besieged in the midst of an ocean of 
flames, which enveloped all the gates of the citadel. 

But the description is simply a piece of imagination. 
Napoleon proceeded slowly and calmly to the outer 
circuit of the city, and took up his quarters in the 
imperial castle of Petrowsky, situated about a league 
on the road to St. Petersburg. Count Dumas, who 
remained on duty within the walls until nightfall, says 
that he and Daru "left Moscow under a real rain of 
fire ;" but he mentions nothing of such perils with 
regard to the Emperor. 

On the following morning, September 17th, the 



360 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Emperor directed his first glances towards Moscow, 
hoping to find the fire subdued. It continued with all 
the violence of the previous night. The whole city 
now seemed to him "one vast fire-spout, ascending in 
awful whirls towards the sky." He was long absorbed 
in the contemplation of this scene of horror and ruin. 
Moscow had been the very centre of all his projects — 
the object of all his hopes in Russia. At length, he 
broke his melancholy silence merely by observing, 
" This forbodes us no common calamities." 

The fire raged throughout the 18th and 19th of Sep- 
tember, when it slackened for want of fuel. The 
greater part of the Kremlin, a few palaces, and all the 
churches built of stone, remained standing. All else 
was laid in ruins. The destruction of property was 
enormous. The flight of the nobility had been so sud- 
den, that the French officers on their entrance found 
even the jewels of the ladies left behind. But there 
are other consequences of the burning of Moscow 
which are too horrible to dwell upon. Dumas states, 
that he found six thousand wounded Russians in the 
hospitals, which he examined by order of Napoleon, 
when the French army entered. Their fate cannot be 
doubtful. Napoleon returned to the Kremlin on the 
20th. He passed towards the city through the camps 
of his army, which exhibited a very singular appear- 
ance. " They were situated," says Segur, "in the midst 
of fields, in a thick and cold mire ; and contained im- 
mense camp-fires, fed by rich mahogany furniture, and 
gilded sashes and doors. Around these fires, with a 
fitter of damp straw, sheltered only by a few miserable 



Moscow. 361 

planks fastened together, his soldiers., with their officers, 
were to be seen, splashed with dirt, and stained with 
smoke, seated upon superb arm-chairs, or reclining on 
sofas covered with silk. At their feet, carelessly opened 
or thrown in heaps, lay Cashmere shawls, the finest furs 
of Siberia, the gold stuffs of Persia, and plates of solid 
silver, from which they had nothing to eat but a black 
dough baked in ashes, and half-broiled and bloody 
steaks of horse-flesh." The ground between the camps 
and the city was covered with marauders laden with 
booty. On his way through the ruined streets, Napo- 
leon had passed heaps of furniture piled up for removal, 
and stalls where soldiers were exchanging showy and 
valuable commodities for common necessaries ; and the 
richest wines, liquors, and bales of costly merchandise, 
for a loaf of bread. He had permitted this license at 
first ; but hearing that the excesses increased, and that 
the peasantry who had formerly brought provisions 
were now prevented by fear, he issued- severe orders, 
and commanded his guard to keep close to their quar- 
ters. He was obeyed at the first word. The plundering 
continued, but was conducted regularly, and every 
effort made to protect the peasants ; nevertheless few 
a/ppeared, and at length not one was to be seen. 

v 46 




8MBP-FBIBB at M&m~ximm i izMim?%< 




AjlAPOLEON had left the ruins of Mos • 

J\J cow, like a funeral pyre, smouldering, 

behind him, and taken up the line of 

march for Kalouga. He had with him 

hundred thousand effective men — 



r- a 



troops in whom he still could place the 
deepest confidence. But the first snow 
had fallen ! The ghostly terror of a 
Russian winter hovered over the army, 
and vexed the dreams of the Empe- 
ror. In a weaver's hut, where he 
passed the night of the 24th of October, he heard that 
(362) 



MALO-YAKOSLAVETZ. 363 

Kutusoff had anticipated him, and had taken up a 
position upon the road to Kalouga, which could not be 
assailed ; that Prince Eugene, with only eighteen thou- 
sand troops had fought a bloody battle with fifty thou- 
sand Russians, and gained a dear but glorious victory. 
In the early part of the night, when the faithful troops 
were shivering round their fires, and the Emperor was 
seated in a comfortless hovel, divided into two apart- 
ments by a tattered cloth, came the intrepid Marshal 
Bessieres, with the terrible intelligence. The Emperor 
looked pale and worn with anxiety. 

"Did you see rightly?" he exclaimed. "Are you 
sure ? Will you vouch for what you say ?" 

"All that I have told you, sire, is truth," replied 
the marshal, calmly. 

Napoleon crossed his arms upon his breast, his head 
fell, and for a few moments he seemed lost in thought. 
Bessieres respectfully retired. The Emperor seemed 
greatly agitated, but nothing except restless actions 
betrayed his feverish state of mind. He lay down and 
arose incessantly, called for his attendants, and when 
they came, had nothing to say to them. About four 
o'clock in the morning, while the camp-fires were still 
burning, the Prince" D'Aremberg came into the hovel, 
and informed him that a horde of Cossacks, under 
cover of the night, and the woods, were gliding between 
him and the advanced posts. The Emperor, however, 
seemed to pay no attention to the intelligence, and as 
soon as the sun was above the horizon, mounted his 
horse and proceeded towards Malo-Yaroslavetz. 

In crossing the plain, a confused clamor startled the 



364 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

imperial party, and suddenly the Cossack Murat, Platoff, 
led his wild horsemen among the baggage and fires of 
the army, and overturning every thing in their course, 
they pressed onward with wild hourras. Rapp seized 
the Emperor's bridle, and exclaimed, — 

" It is they ! turn back !" 

Napoleon's pride would not stoop to a retreat. His 
hand moved to his sword. Berthier and the grand 
equerry followed his example, and placing themselves 
on the left of the wood, the little party awaited the 
approach of the Cossacks. They came on rapidly, and 
were within forty paces of the Emperor. Rapp was 
wounded by one of their spears. About twenty horse- 
men and chasseurs then attacked the horde, and by 
their desperate bravery saved the Emperor. The 
cavalry of the guard then came up, and drove the Cos- 
sacks across the plain. The Emperor halted until the 
plain was cleared, and then rode forward to Maho-Yaros- 
lavetz, in the neighborhood of which the main body of 
the army encamped. The Emperor occupied the after- 
noon in reconnoitering the position of Kutusoff, and as 
the shades of a sombre evening fell, returned to his 
head-quarters, the wretched hovel of an artisan. There 
he was joined by Murat, Berthier, Davoust, Bessieres, 
and the heroic Prince Eugene, who came to give Napo- 
leon an account of the action of the day before. A 
cheerful fire was kindled on the hearth of the lowly hut, 
and an emperor, two kings, and three marshals sat down 
to the rough table. Without, the camp-fires of the 
soldiers were blazing ; but the fierce wind was already 
blowing the requiem of the army. The Emperor sat. 



MALO-YAROSLAVETZ. 365 

with his head resting in his hands, which concealed his 
features. Eugene was the first to speak. 

" It is to be hoped that we shall not have many such 
conflicts as that of yesterday, sire, or however glorious 
the results, we shall only have a miserable remnant of 
the grand army to lead back to France." 

"But it was a glorious battle, Prince; was it not? 
Tell me of it yourself," said the Emperor, without 
removing his hands from his face. 

" Sire, it was briefly thus," replied Eugene. " On 
the night of the 23d, Delzons and his division were in 
possession of this place. At four in the morning, his 
bivouacs were surprised by Kutusoff. I heard the 
firing at three leagues distance, and hastened to his 
relief. As I drew near, a vast amphitheatre rose before 
me. The river Lonja marked its foot ; from the oppo- 
site height, a cloud of Russian sharp-shooters and their 
artillery poured down their fire on Delzons. On the 
plain beyond, Kutusoff's whole army advanced rapidly 
by the Lectazowo road. A severe and desperate con- 
flict ensued. Delzons and his brother were killed. 
We were enabled to maintain our ground by the wise 
manoeuvres of Guilleminot, who threw a hundred 
grenadiers into a churchyard, in the walls of which 
they made holes for their muskets. Five times the 
Russians attempted to pass, and five times they were 
thrown into disorder and repulsed by a well-directed and 
murderous fire. The whole day the struggle wavered, 
and many times, I thought our troops could not be 
kept to the ground. But the fourteenth and fifteenth 
divisions held the Russians at bay, and maintained the 



366 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

bridge which was our road to retreat, against all 
assault. At length, being reduced to my last reserve, 
I came into battle myself, and by exerting myself to 
the utmost, rallied the troops and once more carried 
them up the heights. The Russians, wearied out, fell 
back, and concentrated themselves on the Kalouga 
road, between the woods and this place. We gained 
the victory, but we have lost many brave men, whom, 
in our present situation, we cannot with safety spare." 

During this recital, Napoleon's eyes kindled with 
enthusiasm, and when Eugene had finished, he ex- 
claimed, — ■ 

"Then you, Prince, with eighteen thousand men, 
huddled together in the bottom of a ravine, defeated 
fifty thousand Russians, posted above your heads, and 
seconded by every advantage which a town built on a 
steep acclivity could present ! I have been over the 
ground, and know your difficulties, and appreciate the 
nature of your triumphs. Prince, the glory of this 
victory belongs entirely to you." 

The Prince shook his head, — 

" Sire, the French troops are brave — courage alone 
won this field. But leaving that affair, the question is, 
whether we shall march upon Smolensk by way of 
Kalouga, Medyn or Mojaisk." 

" That is easily settled," said Murat, quickly. " The - 
Russians are nothing. Let us pursue the route to Ka- 
louga, and cut our way through them." 

"Tut — tut! King of Naples, you speak rashly!" 
said Napoleon, quickly. " The course you counsel is 
the violent impulse of your heart." 



MALO-YAROSLAVETZ. 367 

" Entirely unwise !" said Bessieres. " The King of 
Naples is governed by his all-daring temper." 

" With deference, Sire/' said the stern Davoust, " I 
would recommend that we proceed to Medwysick. We 
can reach that point without loss ; and permit me to 
remark, sire, that our present circumstances, every man 
is of almost indispensable value." 

" But," interrupted Murat, "it is certain that we shall 
have to lose men ; and it is better to lose them now, in 
beating the Russians, than to drop them upon a march, 
without having effected any thing. Marshal Davoust 
is ever recommending timid, half-way measures." 

A quarrel between Murat and Davoust had occurred 
some time previous, and it was only by the interposi- 
tion of the Emperor himself, that bloodshed had been 
prevented. They were always ready to renew the 
contest. 

" Timid and half-way measures !" exclaimed the harsh 
voice of Davoust. " I recommend the measures of a 
general who cares for the safety of his army, as well as 
victory. The King of Naples counsels like a mere hot- 
headed, inexperienced conscript." 

Here Napoleon, raising his head, extinguished all 
this fire by saying that " we had exhibited temerity 
enough, already; that we had done but too much for 
glory, and it was now high time to give up thinking of 
any thing but how to save the rest of the army." 

Bessieres, either because his pride revolted at the 
idea of being put under the command of the King of 
Naples, or from a desire to preserve uninjured the 
cavalry of the guard, which he had formed, and for 



368 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

which he was answerable to Napoleon, and whicli he 
exclusively commanded, then ventured to add, that 
" neither the army nor even the guard had sufficient 
spirit left for such efforts. It was already said in both, 
that, as the means of conveyance were wholly inade- 
quate, henceforth the victor, if overtaken, would fall a 
prey to the vanquished ; that of course every wound 
would be mortal. Murat would therefore be but feebly 
seconded. And in what a position! its strength had 
just been but too well demonstrated. Against what 
enemies ! had they not remarked the field of the pre- 
vious day's battle, and with what fury the Russian 
recruits, only just armed and clothed, there fought 
and fell !" The marshal concluded by giving his opinion 
in favor of retreat, which the Emperor approved by his 
silence. 

The Prince of Eckmuhl then immediately said that, 
"as a retreat had been decided upon, he proposed that 
it should be by Medyn and Smolensk." But Murat here 
interrupted him; and, whether from enmity, or from 
that discouragement which usually succeeds the rejection 
of a rash measure, he declared himself astonished " that 
any one should dare propose so imprudent a step to the 
Emperor. Had Davoust sworn the destruction of the 
army ? Would he have so long and so heavy a column 
trail along in utter uncertainty, without guides, and on 
an unknown track, within reach of Kutusoff, presenting 
its flank to all the attacks of the enemy? Would he, 
Davoust, defend it ? When in our rear Borowsk and 
Vereria would lead us without danger to Mojaisk, why 
reject that safe route ? There provisions must have 



MALO-Y AROSLAVETZ . 369 

jeen already collected, there everything was known tc 
us, and we could not be misled by any traitor." 

At these words, Davoust, burning with a rage which 
he could scarcely repress, replied that " he proposed a 
retreat through a fertile country, by an untouched, 
plentiful, and well-supplied route, where the villages 
were still standing, and by the shortest road, that the 
enemy might not be able to cut us off, as on the route 
by Mojaisk to Smolensk, recommended by Murat. 
And what a route ! a desert of sand and ashes, where 
convoys of wounded would increase our embarrass- 
ment, where we should meet with nothing but ruins, 
traces of blood, skeletons, and famine ! 

" Moreover, though he deemed it his duty to give 
his opinion when it was asked, he was ready to obey 
orders contrary to it, with the same zeal as if they were 
consonant with his suggestions ; but that the Emperor 
alone had a right to impose silence on him, and not 
Murat, who was not his sovereign, and never should be !" 

The quarrel growing warm, Bessieres and Berthier 
interposed. As for the Emperor, still absorbed and in 
the same attitude, he appeared insensible to what was 
passing. At length he broke up the council with the 
words, " Well, gentlemen, I will decide." 

" Enough, it is well, sirs. I will decide," said Napo- 
leon calmly, and the King of Naples resumed his seat, 
biting, his lips from the effects of passion. " Sirs," 
continued the Emperor, " I decide to retreat." Here 
he paused, as if such a decision was costing him a 
dreadful effort. " I decide to retreat by way of Mo- 
jaisk. We cannot afford to fight, and that is the road 

47 ' 



370 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



which will 'lead us most speedily from the enemy." 
This decision was extremely distasteful to Muratj 
but not more so than it w T as to the Emperor, who, after 
he had announced it, looked as though he wished that 
it had not been uttered. However, the resolution, fatal 
as it proved, was taken, and nothing could induce the 
Emperor to revoke it. Had he but known, that at the 
moment when this decision was made, Kutusoff, stunned 
by the defeat at Malo-Yaroslavetz, was retiring with his 
forces by the bridge over the Oka, offering a fair mark 
for the French, he might have changed his design, and 
delivered such a crushing ,blow to the enemy, as would 
have secured his retreat unmolested. But this know- 
ledge came not to the Emperor's mind; and as he 
stretched himself for repose amid his faithful generals, 
and by the side of the blazing fire, he had nothing to 
relieve the prospect of a disastrous retreat. 





Trias qmsip-fiiibs m mm m®yj< 



HI] pen has no colors to depict 
the horrors of the 
grand army's re- 
treat amid the 
fierce storms of a 
Russian winter. 
Though " horrors 
upon horror's head" 
accumulate, there is always lacking something which 

(371) 




372 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

shall picture to the heart the full truth of that disas- 
trous march. 

The Emperor reached Wiazma in two days' march 
from Gjatz. Here he halted for the arrival of Prince 
Eugene and Davoust ; and to reconnoitre the road from 
Medyn and Juknof. Hearing no tidings of the Russians, 
he set off after thirty-six hours' stay, leaving Ney at 
Wiazma to relieve Davoust, who was accused of dila- 
toriness ; but he said that the artillery and wagons were 
constantly precipitated into deep ravines which crossed 
the road, and that it was nearly impossible to drag them 
up the opposite icy slope, the horses' shoes not having 
been turned. Nevertheless, both he and the Viceroy 
arrived within two leagues of Wiazma on the 2d of 
November, and might have passed through it; but 
neglecting to do so, the Russian advanced-guard under 
Miloradowich (called the Russian Murat) turned their 
bivouacs in the night, and posted themselves along the 
left bank of the road, between the French generals and 
Wiazma. On the 3d of November, Prince Eugene was 
preparing to take the road to that town, when the first 
dawn of day showed him his situation, his rear-guard 
cut off, and Ney, who was to have come to his assist- 
ance, righting in his own defence in the direction of 
Wiazma. He immediately took his resolution. He 
stopped, faced about, formed in line along the main-road, 
and kept the foremost of the enemy's troops in check, 
till Ney marched up one of his regiments, and attack- 
ing them in the rear, compelled them to retire. At the 
same time, Compans, one of Davoust's generals,, joined 
his division to the Italian guard ; and while they fought 



IN THE SNOW. 373 

together, Davoust passed, and got between Wiazma and 
the Russians. The battle was not over, but begun. 
The French amounted to thirty thousand, but were in 
great disorder. The Russian artillery, superior in 
number, advanced at a gallop, and mowed down their 
lines. Davoust and his generals were still surrounded 
with many of their bravest men. Several of the officers 
who had been wounded at the Mosqua were still seen, 
one with his arm in a sling, another with his head covered 
with bandages, encouraging the soldiers, keeping them 
together, throwing themselves upon the enemy's field- 
pieces and seizing them, and thus preventing the effects 
of bad example by good. Miloradowich saw that his 
prey would escape him, and sent the Englishman 
Wilson to summon Kutusoff to his aid ; but the old 
general laughed at him. The fight had already lasted 
seven hours ; when night approached, the French 
began to retire. This retrogade movement encouraged 
the enemy ; and had it not been for a signal effort of 
the 25th, 57th, and 85th regiments, Davoust's corps 
would have been turned, broken, and destroyed. Prince 
Eugene made good his retreat to Wiazma; Davoust 
followed, but Morand's division, which entered first, 
found a number of Russians there before them, and had 
to cut their way through them. Compans, who brought 
up the rear, put an end to the affair by facing about, 
and making a furious assault upon Miloradowich. The 
bivouacs were set up by the light of the burning of 
Wiazma, and amidst repeated discharges of artillery. 
During the night the alarm continued. Several times 
the troops thought they were attacked, and groped 



374 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

about for their arms. On the following morning, when 
they returned to their ranks, they were astonished at 
the smallness of their numbers. 

Nevertheless, the example of the chiefs and the 
hope of finding rest at Smolensk kept up the men's 
spirits. Besides, so far they had been cheered by the 
sight of the sun; but on the 6th of November, the 
snow came on, and every thing underwent a total 
change. The consequences were most disastrous. The 
troops marched on without knowing where, and without 
distinguishing any object; and while they strove to 
force their way through the whirlwinds of sleet, the 
snow drifted in the cavities where they fell, and the 
weakest rose no more. The wind drove in their faces 
not only the falling snow, but that which it raised in 
furious eddies from the earth. The Muscovite winter 
attacked them in every part, penetrated through their 
thin dress and ragged shoes. Their wet clothes froze 
upon them; this covering of ice chilled their bodies, 
and stiffened all their limbs. A cutting and violent 
wind stopped their breath or seized upon it as it was 
exhaled, and converted it into icicles, which hung from 
their beards. The unhappy men crawled on wdth 
trembling limbs and chattering teeth till the snow, col- 
lecting round their feet in hard lumps, like stones, some 
scattered fragment, a branch of a tree, or the body of 
one of their companions, made them stagger and fall. 
Their cries and groans were vain ; soon the snow covered 
them, and small hillocks marked where they lay. Such 
was their sepulture. The road was filled with these 
undulations, like a burying-place. A number of them 



IN THE SNOW. 375 

froze as they stood still, and looked like posts, covered 
with snow. The most intrepid or obdurate were affected ; 
they hurried past with averted eyes. But before them, 
around them, all was snow ; the horizon seemed one 
vast winding-sheet, in which nature was enveloping the 
whole army. The only objects which came out from 
the bleak expanse were a few gloomy pines skirting the 
plain, and adding to the horror of the scene with their 
funeral green and the motionless erectnesss of their 
black trunks ! Even the weapons of the soldiers were 
a weight almost insupportable to their benumbed limbs. 
In their frequent falls they slipped out -of their hands 
and were broken or lost in the snow. Many others had 
their fingers frozen on the musket they still grasped. 
Some broke up into parties ; others wandered on alone. 
If they dispersed themselves in the fields, or by the 
cross-paths, in search of bread or a shelter for the 
night, they met nothing but Cossacks and an armed 
population, who surrounded, wounded, and stripped 
them, and left them with ferocious laughter to expire 
naked upon the snow. Then came the night of sixteen 
hours. But on this universal covering of snow, they 
knew not where to stop, where to sit, where to lie, 
where to find a few roots for food, or dry sticks to light 
their fires. At length fatigue, darkness, and repeated 
orders induced a pause, and they tried to establish 
themselves for the night ; but the storm scattered the 
preparations for the bivouacs, and the branches of the 
pines covered with ice and snow only melted away, and 
resisted the attempts of the soldiers to kindle them into 
a blaze. When at length the fire got the better, officers 



376 CAMP-FIRES OP NAPOLEON. 

and soldiers gathered round it, to cook their wretched 
meal of horse-flesh, and a few spoonfuls of rye mixed 
with snow-water. Next morning, circles of stiffened 
corpses marked the situation of the bivouacs, and the 
carcasses of thousands of horses were strewed round 
them. From this time disorder and distrust began to 
prevail. A few resisted the strong contagion of insub- 
ordination and despondency. These were the officers, 
the subalterns, and some of the soldiers, whom nothing 
could detach from their duty. They kept up each 
other's spirits by repeating the name of Smolensk, 
which they were approaching, and looked forward to as 
the end of their sufferings. 

At the lake of Semlewo, it was found necessary to 
sacrifice the spoils of Moscow. Cannon, armor, the 
ornaments of the Kremlin, and the cross of the Great 
I wan, all sunk at once in the waters of the lake. On 
the 6th of November, just as the snow was beginning 
to fall, Napoleon had reached Mikalewska. There he 
took up his quarters in a palisaded house. He had 
scarcely arrived, before news of Mallet's conspiracy in 
Paris reached him, and added new trouble to his already 
perturbed spirit. Under all the gloomy circumstances 
of the time, when the fabric of his power, which he 
had reared with so much skill, and maintained with 
such vast energy, seemed to "totter to its fall," the 
fortitude of the Emperor was remarkable. He pre- 
served a firm countenance, and strove to induce those 
around him to believe that his star had not yet begun 
to decline. 

As the Emperor sat in his cheerless hut, with the 



IN THE SNOW. 377 

white storm no wling far around, he was aroused by the 
entrance of Dalbignac, one of Ney's aid-de-camps. 

From Wiazma that general had commenced protecting 
the retreat, which, though fatal to so many others, con- 
ferred immortal renown upon him. As far as Dorogo- 
bouje, he had been molested only by some bands of 
Cossacks, troublesome insects, attracted by the dying, 
and the forsaken carriages, flying away the moment a 
hand was rifted against them, but still annoying from 
their continual return. 

It was not these that were the subject of JNTey's mes- 
sage. On approaching Dorogobouje, he was shocked at 
the traces of disorder left behind them by the corps 
which had preceded him, and which it was not in his 
power to efface. He had made up his mind to leave 
the baggage to the enemy ; but he blushed with shame 
at the sight of the first pieces of cannon abandoned 
before Dorogobouje. 

The marshal had halted there. After a dreadful 
night, during which snow, wind, and famine had driven 
most of his men from the fires, the dawn, which is 
always waited for with so much impatience in a bivouac, 
brought with it at once a tempest, the enemy, and the 
spectacle of an almost general defection. In vain he 
fought in person at the head of what men and officers 
he had left ; he had been obliged to retreat precipitately 
behind the Dnieper ; and of this he now sent to apprise 
the Emperor. 

He wished him to know the worst. His aid-de-camp, 
Colonel Dalbignac, was instructed to say that " the first 
movement of retreat from Malo-Yaroslawetz, for soldiers 

48 



378 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

who had never yet fallen back, had greatly dispirited 
the army ; that the affair at Wiazina had shaken its 
firmness; that the deluge of snow, and the increased 
cold which it had brought with it, had completed its dis- 
organization ; and that a multitude of officers, having 
lost everything, their platoons, battalions, regiments, 
and even divisions, had joined the roving masses ; so 
that generals, colonels, and officers of all ranks were 
seen mingled with the privates, and marching at ran- 
dom, sometimes with one column, sometimes with 
another; that, as order could not exist in the midst 
of disorder, this example was seducing even the veteran 
regiments, which had served through all the wars of 
the revolution ; and that, accordingly, the best soldiers 
were heard asking one another why they alone were 
required to fight to secure the escape of the rest ; and 
how it could be expected that they should keep up 
their courage, when they heard the cries of despair 
issuing from the neighboring woods, in which the large 
convoys of then wounded, who had been dragged to no 
purpose all the way from Moscow, had just been aban- 
doned ? Such, no doubt, was the fate which awaited 
themselves ; what had they, then, to gain by remaining 
with their colors ? Incessant toils and combats by 
day, and famine at night, with shelterless bivouacs, 
still more destructive than battle ; hunger and cold 
effectually drove sleep from their eyes ; or if, perchance, 
fatigue got the better of these for a moment, the repose 
which should refresh them put a period to their lives. 
In short, the eagles had ceased to protect them — they 
only destroyed. Why, then, remain around them to 



IN THE SNOW. 379 

perish by battalions, by masses ? It would be better 
to disperse ; and, since there was no other course than 
flight, to try who could run the fastest. It would not 
then be the bravest and best that would fall ; the pol- 
troons behind them would no longer have a chance to 
eat up the relics of the high road." Lastly, the aid-de- 
camp was commissioned to explain to the Emperor all 
the horrors of the marshal's situation, the responsibility 
of which that commander absolutely refused to assume. 

But Napoleon saw enough around himself to judge of 
the rest. The fugitives were that moment passing by 
him ; he was sensible that nothing could now be done 
but to sacrifice the army successively, part by part, 
beginning at the extremities, in order to save the head. 
When, therefore, the aid-de-camp was beginning to state 
farther particulars, he sharply interrupted him with 
these words : " Colonel, I do not ask you for these 
details." The colonel said no more ; aware that, in the 
midst of these terrible disasters, now irremediahle, and 
in which every one had occasion for all his energies, the 
Emperor was afraid of complaints, which could have no 
other effect than to discourage as well those who 
indulged in them as those who listened to them. 

He remarked the attitude of Napoleon, the same as 
he retained throughout the whole of this dismal retreat. 
It was grave, silent, and resigned ; suffering much less 
in body than others, but far more in mind, and brooding 
with speechless agony over his misfortunes. At that 
moment General Carpentier sent him from Smolensk a 
convoy of provisions. Bessieres wished to take pos- 
session of them; but the Emperor instantly ordered 



380 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

them to be forwarded to the Prince of Moskwa, saying 
that " those who were fighting ought to eat before the 
rest." At the same time, he sent word to Ney to " de- 
fend himself long enough to allow him some stay at 
Smolensk, where the army should eat, rest, and be re- 
organized." 

But if this hope kept some still to their duty, many 
others abandoned every thing to hasten towards that 
promised goal of their sufferings. As for Ney, he saw 
that a sacrifice was required, and that he was marked 
out as the victim ; he nobly resigned himself, therefore, 
prepared to meet the whole of a danger great as his 
courage ; and thenceforward he neither attached his 
honor to baggage, nor to cannon, which the winter alone 
wrested from him. An elbow of the Borysthenes stopped 
and kept back part of his guns at the foot of its icy 
slopes : he sacrificed them without hesitation, passed 
that obstacle, faced about, and made the hostile river, 
which crossed his route, serve him as the means, of 
defence. 

The Russians, however, advanced under favor of a 
wood and of the forsaken carriages, whence they kept 
up a fire of musketry on Ney's troops. Half of the 
latter, whose icy arms froze their stiffened fingers, 
became discouraged; they gave way, excusing them- 
selves by their want of firmness on the preceding day$ 
and fleeing because they had before fled, which, but for 
this, they would have considered as impossible. But 
Ney, rushing in among them, seized one of their mus- 
kets, and led them back to action, which he was him- 
self the first to renew; exposing his life like a private 



IN THE SNOW. 381 

soldier, with a firelock in his hand, the same as though 
he had been neither possessed of wealth, nor power, 
nor consideration; in short, as if he had still every 
thing to gain, w r hen in fact he had every thing to lose. 
But, though he had again turned soldier, he ceased not 
to be general : he took advantage of the ground, sup- 
ported himself against a height, and covered his ap- 
proach by occupying a palisaded house. His generals 
and colonels, among whom he particularly remarked 
Fezenzac, strenuously seconded him; and the enemy, 
who had expected to pursue, was obliged to retreat. 

By this action Ney afforded the army a respite of 
twenty-four hours; and it profited by it to proceed 
towards Smolensk. The next day, and every succeed- 
ing day, he displayed the same heroism. Between 
Wiazma and Smolensk he fought ten whole days. 

On the 13th of November, Ney was approaching that 
city, which he was not to enter till the ensuing clay, 
and had faced about to beat off the enemy, when all at 
once the hills upon which he intended to support his 
left were seen covered with a multitude of fugitives. 
In their terror, these unfortunate wretches fell, and 
rolled down to where he was, upon the frozen snow, 
which they stained with their blood. A band of Cossacks, 
which was soon perceived in the midst of them, suf- 
ficiently accounted for this disorder. The astonished 
marshal, having caused this horde of enemies to be dis- 
persed, discovered behind it the army of Italy, return- 
ing completely stripped, without baggage and without 
cannon: 

Platoff had kept it besieged, as it were, all the way 



382 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

from Dorogobouje. Near that town Prince Eugene 
had quitted the high road, and, in order to proceed 
towards Witepsk, had taken that which, two months 
before, had brought him from Smolensk ; but the Wop. 
which, when he had crossed it before, was a mere brook 
and had scarcely been noticed, he now found swollen 
into a river. It ran over a muddy bed, and was bounded 
by two steep banks.. It was found necessary to cut 
a passage in these precipitous and frozen banks, and to 
give orders for the demolition of the neighboring 
houses during the night, for the purpose of building 
a bridge with the materials. But those who had taken 
shelter in them opposed their being destroyed ; and, as 
the viceroy was more beloved than feared, his instruc- 
tions were not obeyed. The pontonniers became dis- 
heartened, and when daylight, with the Cossacks, 
appeared, the bridge, after being twice broken down, 
was at last abandoned. 

Five or six thousand soldiers still in order, twice the 
number of disbanded men, the sick and wounded, 
upward of a hundred pieces of cannon, ammunition 
wagons, and a multitude of vehicles of every kind, 
lined the bank and covered a league of ground. An 
attempt was made to ford the river, through the floating 
ice which was carried along by its current. The first 
guns that were attempted to be got over reached the 
opposite bank ; but the water kept rising every mo- 
ment, while at the same time the bed of the stream at 
the place of passage was continually deepened by the 
wheels and by the efforts of the horses, and at length 
the stoppage became general. 



IN THE SNOW. 383 

Meanwhile the day was advancing; the men were 
exhausting themselves in vain efforts; hunger, cold, 
and the Cossacks became pressing, and the viceroy 
finally found himself compelled to order his artillery 
and all his baggage to be left behind. A distressing 
spectacle ensued. The owners were allowed scarcely 
a moment to part from their effects ; while they were 
selecting from them such articles as they most needed, 
and loading their horses with them, a multitude of sol- 
diers came rushing up; they fell in preference upon 
the vehicles of luxury ; these they broke in pieces and 
rummaged every part, avenging their poverty on the 
wealth, and their privations on the superfluities they 
here found, and snatching them from the Cossacks, who 
were in the meantime looking on at a distance. 

But it was provisions of which most of them were in 
quest. They threw aside embroidered clothes, pictures, 
ornaments of every kind, and gilt bronzes for a few 
handfuls of flour. In the evening it was a strange sight 
to behold the mingled riches of Paris and of Moscow, 
the luxuries of two of the largest cities in the world, 
lying scattered and despised on the snow of the desert. 
. At the same time, most of the artillerymen spiked 
their guns in despair, and scattered their powder about. 
Others laid a train with it as far as some ammunition 
wagons, which had been left at a considerable distance 
behind the baggage. They waited till the most eager 
of the Cossacks had come up to them, and when a great 
number, greedy of plunder, had collected about them, 
they threw a brand from a bivouac upon the train. The 
fire ran, and in a moment reached its destination ; the 



384 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

wagons were blown up, the shells exploded, and such 
of the Cossacks as were not killed on the spot, dispersed 
in dismay. 

A few hundred men, who were still called the 14th 
division, were opposed to these hordes, and sufficed to 
keep them at a respectful distance till the next day. 
All the rest, soldiers, sutlers, women, and children, sick 
and wounded, driven by the enemy's balls, crowded the 
bank of the river. But at the sight of its swollen cur- 
rent, of the sharp and massive fragments of ice floating 
down its stream, and the necessity of aggravating their 
already intolerable sufferings from cold by plunging into 
its chilling waves, they all started back. 

Colonel Delfanti, an Italian, was obliged to set the 
example and cross first. The soldiers then moved, and 
the crowd followed. The weakest, the least resolute, 
and the most avaricious, stayed behind. Such as could 
not make up their minds to part from their booty, and 
to forsake fortune which was forsaking them, were sur- 
prised in the midst of their hesitation. The next day, 
amid all this wealth, the savage Cossacks were seen 
still covetous of the squalid and tattered garments 
of the unfortunate creatures who had become their 
prisoners : they stripped them, and then, collecting 
them in troops, drove them along over- the snow, 
hurrying their steps by hard blows with the shafts of m 
their lances. 

The army of Italy, thus completely dismantled, 
soaked in the waters of the Wop, without food, without 
shelter, passed the night on the snow near a village 
where its officers expected to have found lodgings for 



IX THE SNOW. 385 

themselves. Their soldiers, however, beset its wooden 
houses. They rushed like madmen, and in swarms, on 
every habitation, profiting by the darkness, which pre- 
vented them from recognising their officers or being 
known by them. They tore down every thing, doors, 
windows, and even the woodwork of the roofs, feeling 
but little compunction in compelling others, be they 
who they might, to bivouac like themselves. 

Their generals attempted in vain to drive them off: 
they took their blows without a murmur or the least 
opposition, but without desisting — even the men of the 
royal and imperial guards ; for, throughout the whole 
army, such were the scenes that occurred every night. 
The unfortunate fellows kept silently but actively at 
work on the wooden walls, which they pulled in pieces 
on every side at once, and which, after vain efforts, 
their officers were obliged to relinquish to them, for 
fear they would fall upon their own heads. It was an 
extraordinary mixture of perseverance in their design 
and of respect for the anger of their superiors. 

Having kindled good fires, they spent the night in 
drying themselves, amid the shouts, impre ations, and 
groans of those who were still crossing the torrent, 
or who, slipping from its banks, were precipitated into 
it, and drowned. 

It is a fact by no means creditable to the enemy, 
that during this disaster, and in sight of so rich a booty, 
a few hundred men, left at the distance of half a league 
from the viceroy, on the other side of the Wop, were 
sufficient to curb for twenty hours not only the courage, 
but even the cupidity of Platoff's Cossacks. 

49 



386 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

It is possible, indeed, that the hetman made sure of 
destroying the viceroy on the following day. In fact, 
all his measures were so well planned, that at the 
moment when the army of Italy, after an unquiet and 
disorderly march, came in sight of Dukhowtchina, a 
town yet uninjured, and was joyfully hastening forward 
to shelter itself there, several thousand Cossacks sallied 
forth from it with cannon, and suddenly stopped its 
progress ; while at the same time Platoff, with all his 
hordes, came up and attacked its rear guard and both 
flanks. 

Several eye-witnesses assert that a complete tumult 
and confusion then ensued ; that the disbanded men, 
the women, and the attendants ran headlong over each 
other, and broke quite through the ranks ; that, in 
short, there was a moment when this unfortunate army 
was but a shapeless mass, a mere rabble rout hurrying 
to and fro. All seemed to be lost; but the coolness of 
the prince and the efforts of his officers, saved all. The 
best men disengaged themselves, and the ranks were 
again formed. They advanced, and, firing a few volleys, 
the enemy, who had every thing on his side excepting 
courage, the only advantage yet left the French, 
opened and retired, confining himself to a useless demon- 
stration. 

The army occupied his quarters still warm in that 
town, while he went beyond to bivouac, and to prepare 
for similar surprises to the very gates of Smolensk. 
For this disaster at the Wop had made the viceroy give 
up the idea of separating from the Emperor, near to 
whom these hordes became still bolder;, they sur- 



IN THE SNOW. 387 

rounded the 11th division. When Prince Eugene 
would have gone to its relief, his men and officers, 
stiffened with a cold of twenty degrees, which the wind 
rendered most piercing, remained stretched on the warm 
ashes of the fires. To no purpose did he point out to 
them their comrades surrounded, the enemy approach- 
ing, the bullets and balls which were already reaching 
them ; they refused to rise, protesting that they would 
rather perish where they were than any longer endure 
such cruel hardships. The viclettes themselves had 
abandoned their posts. Prince Eugene nevertheless 
contrived to save his rear guard. 

It was in returning with it towards Smolensk that 
his stragglers had been driven back on Ney's troops, to 
whom they communicated their panic; all hurried 
confusedly towards the Dnieper, where they crowded 
together at the entrance of the bridge, without thinking 
of defending themselves, when a charge made by the 
4th regiment stopped the advance of the enemy. 
, Its colonel, young Fezenzac, contrived to infuse fresh 
life into these men, who were half perished with cold. 
There, as in every thing that can be called action, was 
manifested the triumph of the sentiments of the soul 
over the sensations of the body; for every physical 
feeling tended to encourage despondency and flight; 
Nature advised it with her hundred most urgent voices ; 
and yet a few words of honor alone were sufficient to 
produce the most heroic devotedness. The soldiers of 
the 4th regiment rushed like furies upon the enemy, 
against the mountains of snow and ice of which he had 
taken possession, and in the teeth of the northern hurri- 



388 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

cane, for they had every thing against them. Ney him- 
self was obliged to moderate their impetuosity. 

Such fighting could only be the work of heroes, who 
were determined to triumph or perish. Ney proved 
himself worthy to command the rear guard, upon which 
the safety of the army depended. He was equal to a 
host, and around his stalwart form the troops rallied, 
as they would around a rock of salvation. He seemed 
even determined to conquer the Russian storm. 

At length the army once more came in sight of 
Smolensk : it had reached the goal so often announced 
to it of all its sufferings. The soldiers exultingly 
pointed it out to each other. There was that land of 
promise where their hunger was to find abundance, 
their fatigue rest ; where bivouacs in a cold of nineteen 
degrees would be forgotten in houses warmed by good 
fires. There they would enjoy refreshing sleep ; there 
they might repair their apparel ; there they would be 
furnished with new shoes, and clothing adapted to the 
climate. 

But Smolensk was a heap of blackened ruins, and 
the commissary found there, was compelled to own that 
he had not enough provisions to supply half the army 
for the required time, fifteen days. If any thing was 
wanted to increase the wretchedness of this doomed 
army it was this disastrous disappointment. Napoleon 
himself displayed a consciousness of the terrors by 
which he was surrounded, and seemed to apprehend 
the destruction of his entire army. 




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PON the retreat from Smo- 
lensk, the grand army, re- 
duced to thirty-six thousand 
effective men, had been divided 
into four columns, commanded 
by Napoleon, Eugene, Davoust 
and Ney. These were sepa- 
rated by the march of a few 
days from each other. The 
Emperor reached the town of Krasnoe without dim 

(389) 




390 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

culty ; but the second division, under Prince Eugene, 
was compelled to fight against forces immensely supe- 
rior in numbers. 

It was the night of the 16th of November. The 
weather was bitter cold ; and though Krasnoe fairly 
blazed with camp-fires, the soldiers of the guard shiv- 
ered in spite of the sternest efforts of their wills. 

The Emperor had waited for the viceroy during the 
whole of the preceding day. The noise of an engage- 
ment had agitated him. An effort to break through the 
enemy, in order to join him, had been ineffectually 
attempted ; and when night came on without his making 
his appearance, the uneasiness of Napoleon was at its 
height. " Eugene and the army of Italy, and this 
long day of baffled expectation, had they then terminated 
together V Only one hope remained, and that was, 
that the viceroy, driven back towards Smolensk, had 
there joined Davoust and Ney, and that on the following 
day they would, with united forces, attempt a decisive 
effort. 

In his anxiety, the Emperor assembled the marshals' 
who were with him. These were Berthier, Bessieres, 
Mortier and Lefebvre; they were safe; they had 
cleared the obstacles ; they had only to continue their 
retreat through Lithuania, which was open to them; 
but would they abandon their companions in the midst 
of the Russian army ? No, certainly ; and they deter- 
mined once more to enter Russia, either to deliver or to 
perish with them. 

No sooner was this resolution taken, than Napoleon 
coolly made his arrangements to carry it info effect. 



KRASNOE. 391 

He was not at all shaken by the great movements 
which the enemy was evidently making around him. 
He saw that Kutusoff was advancing in order to sur- 
round and take him prisoner in Krasnoe. The very 
night before he had learned that Ojarowski, with a 
vanguard of Russian infantry, had got beyond him, and 
taken a position at Maliewo, a village on his left. Irri- 
tated instead of being depressed hj misfortune, he 
called his aid-de-camp Rapp, and told him "that he 
must set out immediately, and during the darkness 
attack that body of the enemy with the bayonet ; this 
was the first time of his exhibiting so much audacity, 
and that he was determined to make him repent it, in 
such a way that he should never again dare approach 
so near to his head-quarters." Then instantly recalling 
him, he exclaimed, " But no : let Roguet and his 
division go alone. As for you, remain where you are; 
I don't wish you killed here ; I shall have occasion for 
you at Dantzic." 

Rapp, as he was carrying this order to Roguet, could 
not help feeling astonished that his chief, surrounded 
by eighty thousand of the enemy, whom he was going 
to attack the next day with nine thousand, should have 
so little doubt about his safety as to be thinking of 
what he should have to do at Dantzic, a city from 
which he was separated by the winter, two hostile 
armies, famine, and a hundred and eighty leagues of 
distance. 

The nocturnal attack on Ojarowski at Chirkowa and 
Maliewo proved successful. Roguet formed his idea 
of the enemy's position by the direction of their fires : 



392 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

they occupied two villages, connected by a causeway, 
defended by a ravine. He disposed his troops into three 
columns of attack : those on the right and left were to 
advance silently, as close as possible to the Russians ; 
then, at the signal to charge, which he himself would 
give them from the centre, they were to rush into the 
midst of the hostile corps without firing a shot, and 
make use only of their bayonets. 

Immediately the two wings of the young guard com- 
menced the action. While the Russians, taken by 
surprise, and not knowing on which side to defend them- 
selves, were wavering from their right to their left, 
Roguet, with his column, rushed suddenly upon their 
centre, and into the midst of their camp, which he 
entered pell-mell along with them. Thus divided, and 
in utter confusion, they had barely time to throw the 
best part of their cannon and small arms into a neigh- 
boring lake, and to set fire to their tents, the flames of 
which, instead of saving them, only gave light to their 
destruction. 

This check stopped the movements of the Russian' 
army for four-and-twenty hours, put it in the Emperor's 
power to remain at Krasnoe, and enabled Eugene to 
rejoin him during the following night. He was received 
by Napoleon with the greatest joy; whose uneasiness, 
however, respecting Davoust and Ney, now became pro- 
portionably greater. 

Around the French, the camp of the Russians pre- 
sented a spectacle similar to what it had done at 
Vinkowo, Malo-Yaroslawetz, and Wiazma. Every even- 
ing, close to the general's tent, the relics of the Russian 



KKASNOE. 39 D 

saints, surrounded by an immense number of wax tapers, 
were exposed to the adoration of the soldiers. While 
these, according to their custom, were giving proofs of 
their devotion by endless crossings and genuflexions, 
the priests were employed in exciting their fanaticism 
with exhortations that would have been deemed bar- 
barous and absurd by a civilized nation. 

It is asserted that a spy had represented to Kutusoff, 
Krasnoe as being filled with an immense number of the 
imperial guard, and that the old marshal was afraid of 
hazarding his reputation by attacking it. But the sight 
of the distress emboldened Bennigsen ; this officer, who 
was chief of the staff, prevailed upon Strogonoff, Gallit- 
zin, and Miloradowitch, with a force of more than fifty 
thousand Russians, and one hundred pieces of. cannon, 
to venture to attack at daylight, in spite of Kutusoff, 
fourteen thousand famished, enfeebled, and half-frozen 
French and Italians. 

This was a danger, the imminence of which Napoleon 
fully comprehended. He might have escaped from it, 
for the day had not yet appeared. He was still at 
liberty to avoid this fatal engagement; by rapid 
marches along with Eugene and his guard, he might 
have gained Orcha and Borizoff ; there he could have 
rallied his forces, and strengthened himself with thirty 
thousand French, under Victor and Oudinot, with the 
corps of Dombrowski, Regnier, and Schwartzenberg, 
been within reach of all his depots, and, by the follow- 
ing year, have made himself as formidable as ever. 

On the 17th, before daylight, he issued his orders, 
armed himself, and going out on foot at the head of his 

50 



394 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

Old Guard, began his march. But it was not towards 
Poland, his ally, that he directed it, nor towards France, 
where he would still be received as the head of a new 
dynasty, and the Emperor of the West. His words 
on grasping his sword on this occasion were, " I have 
sufficiently acted the emperor; it is time I should 
become the general." He turned back upon eighty 
thousand of the enemy, plunging into the thickest of 
them, in order to draw all their efforts against himself, 
to make a diversion in favor of Davoust and Ney, and 
to rescue them from a country, the gates of which were 
closed against them. 

Daylight at last appeared, exhibiting on the one part 
the Russian battalions and batteries, which on three 
sides, in front, on the right, and in the rear, bounded 
the horizon, and on the other Napoleon, with his six 
thousand guards, advancing with a firm step, and pro- 
ceeding to take his place in the centre of that terrible 
circle. At the same time, Mortier, a few yards in front 
of the Emperor, deployed, in the face of the whole 
Russian army, with the five thousand men still remaining 
to him. 

Every moment strengthened the enemy and weak- 
ened Napoleon. The noise of artillery, as well as Clapa- 
rede, apprized him that in the rear of Krasnoe and his 
army, Bennigsen was proceeding to take possession of • 
the road to Liacly, and entirely cut off his retreat. The 
east, the west, and the south were flashing with the 
enemy's fires ; one side alone remained open, that of 
the north and the Dnieper, towards an eminence, at the 
foot of which were the high road and the Emperor. 



KRASNOE. 395 

The French fancied they saw the enemy already cover- 
ing this eminence with their cannon. In that situation 
they would have been just over Napoleon's head, and 
might have crushed him at a few yards' distance. He 
was apprized of his danger, cast his eyes for an-instant 
towards the height, and uttered merely these words, 
« Very well, let a battalion of my chasseurs take posses- 
sion of it !" Immediately afterward, without giving 
farther heed to it, his whole attention was directed to 
the perilous situation of Mortier. 

Then, at last, Davoust made his appearance, forcing 
his way through a swarm of Cossacks, whom he 
dispersed by a precipitate movement. At the sight of 
Krasnoe this marshal's troops disbanded themselves, 
running across the fields to get beyond the right of the 
enemy's line, in the rear of which they had come up ; 
and Davoust and his generals could only rally them at 
that place. 

The first corps was thus preserved ; but it was learned 
at the same time that the rear guard could no longer 
defend itself at Krasnoe ; that Ney was probably still 
at Smolensk, and that they must give up waiting for 
him any longer. Napoleon, however, still hesitated : 
he could not determine on making this great sacrifice. 

But at last, as all were likely to perish, his resolu- 
tion was taken. He called Mortier, and pressing his 
hand sorrowfully, told him "that he had not a moment 
to lose ; that the enemy were overwhelming him in all 
directions ; that Kutusoff might already reach Liady, 
perhaps Orcha, and the last elbow of the Borysthenes 
before him; and that he would therefore proceed thither 



J 



396 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



rapidly, with his Old Guard, in order to occupy that pas- 
sage. Davoust would relieve him, Mortier, but both 
of them must endeavor to hold out in Krasnoe until 
night, after which they must advance and rejoin him." 
Then, with his heart full of Ney's misfortune, and of 
despair at abandoning him, he withdrew slowly from the 
field of battle, traversed Krasnoe, where he again 
halted, and thence cleared his way to Liady. 





TEE SMQIP-PQiBB &TF ©©IBVS'lFElgEHSS. 



EY, " the bravest of the brave," 
the commander of the rear- 
guard of the grand army, had 
been given up as lost by most 
of his heroic brethren x in arms. 
But Napoleon could not be- 
lieve it. He knew that the 
changes" were those of despe- 
ration, but he expected all things from the lion-hearted 
marshal. The Emperor had reached Orcha, on the 
Borysthenes, with ten thousand men. He found there 

(397) 




398 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

abundance of provisions and his troops encamped by 
ample fires. But his anxiety for the fate of Ney 
rendered him very much dejected. He could not bring 
his mind to the idea of quitting the Borysthenes. 

It appeared to him that this would be like a second 
abandonment of the unfortunate Ney, and a final casting 
off of his intrepid companion in arms. There, as at 
Liady and Doinbrowna, he was calling every hour of 
the day and night, and sending to inquire if no tidings 
had been received of that marshal. But nothing was 
heard -of him through the intervening Russian army ; 
and four days this fatal silence had lasted, and yet the 
Emperor still continued to hope. 

Being at length, on the 20th of November, compelled 
to quit Orcha, he left there Eugene, Mortier, and Da- 
voust, and halted after a march of two leagues from 
that place, still inquiring for Ney, and still expecting 
him. The same feeling of grief pervaded the portion 
of the army remaining at Orcha. As soon as the most 
pressing wants allowed a moment's rest, the thoughts 
and looks of every one were directed towards the 
Russian bank. They listened for any warlike sounds 
which might announce the arrival of Ney, or, rather, 
his last desperate struggle with the foe ; but nothing 
was to be seen but parties of the enemy, who were 
already menacing the bridges of the Borysthenes. 
One of the three marshals now proposed to destroy 
them, but the others would not consent, as this would 
be separating themselves still more widely from their 
companion in arms, and acknowledging that they 
despaired of saving him, an idea which, from their 



BORYSTHENES. 399 

unhappiness at the thought, they could not hear to 
entertain. 

But with the fourth day all hope had vanished, and 
night only brought with it an agitated repose. They 
blamed themselves for Ney's misfortune, forgetting 
that it was utterly impossible to have waited longer for 
him in the plains of Krasnoe, there to fight for another 
twenty-four hours, when they had scarcely strength 
and ammunition left for one. 

Already, as is always the case in such painful losses, 
they began to seek for some soothing recollections. 
Davoust was the last who had quitted the unfortunate 
marshal, and Mortier and the viceroy were inquiring 
of him what were his last words. At the first reports 
of the cannonade of the enemy on the 15th, it would 
seem that Ney was anxious to evacuate Smolensk im- 
mediately, in the suite of the viceroy; but Davoust 
refused, pleading the orders of the emperor, and their 
obligation to destroy the ramparts of the town. The 
two chiefs became warm; and Davoust insisting to 
remain until the following day, Ney, who had been 
appointed to bring up the rear, was compelled to wait 
for him. 

It is true that on the 16th, Davoust sent to warn 
him of his danger; but Ney, either from change of 
opinion, or from feelings of resentment against Davoust, 
returned for answer " that all the Cossacks in the uni- 
verse should not prevent him from executing his 
instructions." 

After exhausting these recollections and all their 
conjectures, they had relapsed into a gloomy silence, 



£00 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

when suddenly they heard the steps of horses, and then 
the joyful cry, " Marshal Ney is safe ! here are some 
Polish cavalry come to announce his approach !" One 
of his officers now galloped in, and informed them that 
the marshal was advancing on the right bank of the 
Borysthenes, and had sent him to ask for assistance. 

Night had just set in ; and Davoust, Eugene, and 
Mortier were allowed only its short duration to revive 
and animate the soldiers, who had hitherto constantly 
bivouacked. For the first time since they left Moscow, 
these poor fellows had received a sufficient supply of 
provisions ; and they were about to prepare them and 
to take their rest, warm and under cover. How was it 
possible, then to make them resume their arms, and 
turn them from their comfortable asylums during that 
night of rest, whose inexpressible sweets they had just 
begun to taste! Who could persuade them to inter- 
rupt it, to trace back their steps, and once more, in the 
midst of darkness, return into the frozen deserts of 
Russia ? 

Eugene and Mortier disputed the honor of making 
this effort, and the first carried it only in right of his 
superior rank. Shelter and the distribution of pro- 
visions had effected that which threats would have 
failed to do. The stragglers were rallied, and the 
viceroy again found himself at the head of four thou- 
sand men ; all were ready to march at the idea of 
Ney's danger ; but it was their last effort. 

They proceeded in the darkness, by unknown roads, 
and had marched two leagues at random, halting every 
few minutes to listen. Their anxiety instantly in- 



BORYSTHENES. 401 

creased. Had they lost their way ? Were they too 
late ? Had their unfortunate comrades fallen ? Was 
it the victorious Russian army they were about to 
meet? In this uncertainty Prince Eugene directed 
some cannon-shot to be fired. Immediately after, they 
fancied they heard signals of distress on that sea of 
snow : they were not mistaken ; they proceeded from 
the third corps, which having lost all its artillery, could 
answer the cannon of the fourth only by some volleys 
of platoon firing. 

The two corps were thus directed towards their 
meeting. Ney and Eugene were the first to recognise 
each other : they ran up, Eugene the most eagerly, and 
threw themselves into each other's arms. Eugene 
wept, but Ney only let fall some angry words. The 
first was delighted, melted, and elevated at the sight of 
the chivalrous hero whom he had just had the happi- 
ness to save. The latter still heated from the combat, 
irritated at the dangers which the honor of the army 
had run in his person, and blaming Davoust, whom he 
wrongfully accused of having deserted him. 

Some hours afterwards, when the latter sought to 
justify himself, he could draw nothing from Ney but a 
severe look and these words, "Monsieur le Marechal, I 
have no reproaches to make you : God is our witness 
and your judge !" 

As soon as the two corps had fairly recognised each 
other, they could no longer be kept in their ranks. 
Soldiers, officers, generals, all rushed forward together. 
The soldiers of Eugene, eagerly grasping the hands of 
those of Ney, held them with a joyful mixture of 

51 



402 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

astonishment and curiosity, and embraced them with 
the tenderest sympathy. They lavished upon them 
the refreshments which they had just received, and 
overwhelmed them with questions. Then they pro- 
ceeded in company towards Orcha, all burning with 
impatience, Eugene's soldiers to hear, and Ney's to 
relate, their story. There they were soon gathered 
around the cheerful camp-fire, and resting from their 
toils. 

The officers of Ney stated that on the 17th of 
November they had quitted Smolensk with twelve can- 
non, six thousand infantry, and three hundred cavalry, 
leaving there five thousand sick to the mercy of the 
enemy ; and that, had it not been for the noise of Pla- 
toff's artillery and the explosion of the mines, their 
marshal would never have been able to draw from the 
ruins of that city seven thousand unarmed stragglers 
who had taken shelter among them. They dwelt upon 
the attentions which their leader had shown to the 
wounded, and to the women and their children, proving 
upon this occasion that the bravest are also the most 
humane. 

Ney's officers continued to speak in the most. enthu- 
siastic terms of their marshal ; for even his equals could 
not feel the slightest jealousy of him. He had, indeed, 
been too much regretted, and his preservation had. 
excited emotions far too grateful to allow of any feel- 
ings of envy; besides, Ney had placed himself com- 
pletely beyond its reach. As for himself, he had in all 
this heroism gone so little beyond his natural character, 
that, had it not been for the eclat of his glory in the 



BORYSTHENES. 403 

eyes, the gestures, and the acclamations of every one, 
he would never have imagined that he had performed 
an extraordinary action. 

And this was not an enthusiasm of surprise, for each 
of the few last days had had its remarkable men : that 
of the 16th, for instance, had Eugene, and that of the 
17th, Mortier; but from this time forward Ney was 
universally proclaimed the hero of the retreat. 

When Napoleon, who was two leagues farther on, 
heard that Ney had again made his appearance, he 
leaped and shouted for joy, exclaiming, u Then I have 
saved my eagles ! I would have given three hundred 
millions from my exchequer sooner than have lost such 
a man." * 

Such a man ! Where else in history shall we find 
such a man? Davoust, Mortier, Junot, Murat, and 
other celebrated officers of that army were brave — 
wonderful men, indeed — but Ney towered above them 
all, in a courage which was full of sublimity — a courage 
which found resource when others saw nothing left for 
them but a resignation to death. 

That night the marshal slept beside the camp-fire of 
his beloved Emperor — the sweet sleep which grows 
from the consciousness of duty performed. 




rag k&STF ®AEIIP»I?[I[BBS Q52 IISISSQA* 




~— j^^f^m^^ fA T Malodeczno, Napoleon 
\fi5^ la\ suddenly determined to 
leave the wretched rem- 
nant of his army, and.' 
accompanied by a few 
faithful officers, to return 
to France. Murat was 
left to command the army, 
and the greatest hopes of 
speedy relief and fresh triumph were excited by the 
Emperor before he departed. He journeyed very 
rapidly, and reached Paris on the 19th of December, 
two days after his memorable twenty-ninth bulletin had 
(404) 



LAST CAMP-FIRES IN RUSSIA. 405 

told France the disasters of the campaign. But the 
remains of the grand army — what was their fate ? 

On the 6th of December, the very day after Napo- 
leon's departure, the sky exhibited a more dreadful 
appearance. Icy particles were seen floating in the 
air, and the birds fell stiff and frozen to the earth. The 
atmosphere was motionless and silent ; it seemed as if 
every thing in nature which possessed life and move- 
ment, even the wind itself, had been seized, chained, 
and, as it were, congealed by a universal death. Not a 
word or a murmur was then heard ; there was nothing 
but the gloomy silence of despair, and the tears which 
proclaimed it. 

"We flitted along," says Segur, "in the midst of 
this empire of death like doomed spirits. The dull and 
monotonous sound of our steps, the crackling of the 
frost and the feeble groans of the dying, were the only 
interruptions to this doleful and universal silence. 
Anger and imprecations there were none, nor any thing 
which indicated a remnant of warmth; scarcely was 
strength enough left to utter a prayer ; and most of 
them even fell without complaining, either from weak- 
ness or resignation, or because people complain only 
when they look for kindness, and fancy they are pitied. 

" Such of our soldiers as had hitherto been the most 
persevering here lost heart entirely. Some times the 
snow sunk beneath their feet, but more frequently, its 
glassy surface refusing them support, they slipped at 
every step, and tottered along from one fall to another. 
It seemed as though this hostile soil were leagued 
against them ; that it treacherously escaped from under 



406 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

their efforts ; that it was constantly leading them into 
snares, as if to embarrass and retard their march, and 
to deliver them up to the Russians in pursuit of them, 
or to their terrible climate." 

And, in truth, whenever, for a moment, they halted 
from exhaustion, the winter, laying his icy hand upon 
them, was ready to seize his victims. In vain did 
these unhappy creatures, feeling themselves benumbed, 
raise themselves up, and, already deprived of the 
power of speech, and plunged into a stupor, proceed a 
few steps like automatons ; their blood froze in their 
veins, like water in the current of rivulets, congealing 
the heart, and then flying back to the head ; and these 
dying men staggered as if they had been intoxicated. 
From their eyes, reddened and inflamed by the constant 
glare of the snow, by the want of sleep, and the smoke 
of the bivouacs, there flowed real tears of blood ; their 
bosoms heaved with deep and heavy sighs; they 
looked towards heaven and on the earth, with an eye 
dismayed, fixed, and wild, as expressive of their fare- 
well, and, it might be, of their reproaches against the 
barbarous nature which was tormenting them. It was 
not long before they fell upon their knees, and then 
upon their hands ; their heads still slowly moved for a 
few minutes alternately to the right and left, and from 
their open mouth some sounds of agony escaped ; at 
last, in its turn, it fell upon the snow, which it red- 
dened with livid blood, and their sufferings were at an 
end. 

Their comrades passed by them without moving a 
step out of their way, that they might not r by the 



LAST CAMP-FIRES IN RUSSIA. 407 

slightest curve, prolong their journey, and without 
even turning their heads; for their beards and hair 
were so stiffened with ice that every movement was 
painful. Nor did they even pity them; for, in fact, 
what had they lost by dying ? who had they left be- 
hind them? They suffered so much, they were still so 
far from France, so much divested of all feelings of 
country by the surrounding prospect and by misery, 
that every dear illusion was broken, and hope almost 
destroyed. The greater number, therefore, had become 
careless of dying, from necessity, from the habit of 
seeing death constantly around them, and from fashion, 
sometimes even treating it with contempt ; but more 
frequently, on seeing these unfortunates stretched upon 
the snow, and instantly stiffened, contenting them- 
selves with the thought that they had no more wants, 
that they were at rest, that their sufferings were 
over. And, indeed, death, in a situation quiet, certain, 
and uniform, may be felt as a strange event, a frightful 
contrast, a terrible change; but in this tumult, this 
violent and ceaseless movement of a life of action, 
danger, and suffering, it appeared nothing more than a 
transition, a slight alteration, an additional removal, 
which excited little alarm. 

Such were the last days of the grand army : its last 
nights were still more frightful. Those whom they 
surprised marching together, far from every habitation, 
halted on the borders of the woods : there they lighted 
their fires, before which they remained the whole night, 
erect and motionless, like spectres. They seemed as 
if they could not possibly have enough of the heat: 



408 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

they kept so close to it as to burn their clothes, as well 
as the frozen parts of their body, which the fire 
decomposed. The most dreadful pain then compelled 
them to stretch themselves on the ground, and the next 
day they attempted in vain to rise. 

In the meantime, such as the winter had almost 
wholly spared, and who still retained some portion of 
courage, prepared their melancholy meal. It had con- 
sisted, ever since they left Smolensk, of some slices of 
horseflesh broiled, and a little rye meal made into a sort 
of gruel with snow water, or kneaded into paste, which 
they seasoned, for want of salt, with the powder of 
their cartridges. 

The sight of these fires was constantly attracting 
fresh spectres, who were driven back by the first comers. 
Many of them, destitute of the means and the strength 
necessary to cut down the lofty fir trees, made vain 
attempts to set fire to them as they were standing ; but 
death speedily surprised them, and they might be seen 
in every sort of attitude, stiff and lifeless about their 
trunks. 

Under the vast pent-houses erected by the sides of 
the high road in some parts of the way, scenes of still 
greater horror were witnessed. Officers and soldiers 
all rushed precipitately into them, and crowded together 
in heaps. There, like so many cattle, they pressed 
upon each other around the fires, and as the, living could 
not remove the dead from the circle, they laid them- 
selves clown upon them, there to expire in their turn, 
and serve as a bed of death to some fresh victims. In 
a short time additional crowds of stragglers presented 



LAST CAMP-FIRES IN RUSSIA. 409 

themselves, and, being unable to penetrate into these 
asylums of suffering, they completely besieged them. 

It frequently happened that they demolished their 
walls, which were formed of dry wood, in order to feed 
their fires ; at other times, repulsed and disheartened, 
they were contented to use them as shelters to their 
bivouacs, the flames of which very soon communicated 
to the buildings, and the soldiers who were within them, 
already half dead with the cold, perished in the con- 
flagration. 

At Youpranoui, the same village where the Emperor 
only missed by an hour being taken by the Russian 
partisan Seslawin, the soldiers burned the houses as 
they stood, merely to warm themselves for a few 
minutes. The light of these fires attracted some of 
those miserable wretches, whom the excessive severity 
of the cold and their sufferings had rendered delirious; 
they ran to them like madmen, they threw themselves 
into these furnaces, where they perished in horrible 
convulsions. Their famished companions looked on 
unmoved ; and there were some who drew out these 
bodies, blackened and broiled by the flames, and, shock- 
ing to relate, they ventured to pollute their mouths with 
this dreadful food ! 

This was the same army which had been formed from 
the most civilized nation of Europe; that army, for- 
merly so brilliant, which was victorious over men to its 
last moment, and whose name still reigned in so many 
conquered capitals. Its strongest and bravest warriors, 
who had recently been proudly traversing so many 
scenes of their victories, had lost their noble bearing ; 

52 



410 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

covered with rags, their feet naked and torn, and sup- 
porting themselves with branches of fir, they dragged 
themselves painfully along ; and the strength and per- 
severance which they had hitherto put forth in order to 
conquer, they now made use of only to flee. 

In this state of physical and moral distress, the 
remnant of the grand army reached the city of Wilna, 
the Mecca of then hopes. There food and shelter were 
obtained ; but the Russians soon came up and told, in 
the thunder of their artillery, that Wilna was not a 
place of rest for the French. They were driven from 
the town, and Ney, with a handful of men, could 
scarcely protect their flight. Who can ever do suffi- 
cient honor to the lion-hearted marshal? This was the 
order of retreat which he adopted : 

Every day, at five o'clock in the evening, he took his 
position, stopped the Russians, allowed his soldiers to 
eat and take some rest, and resumed his march at ten 
o'clock. During the whole of the night, he pushed the 
mass of the stragglers before him, by dint of cries, of 
entreaties, and of blows. At daybreak, which was 
about seven o'clock, he halted, again took position, and 
rested under arms and on guard until ten o'clock; the 
enemy then usually made his appearance, and he was 
compelled to fight until the evening, gaining as much 
ground in the rear as possible. This depended at first 
on the general order of march, and at a later period 
upon circumstances. 

For a long time this rear guard did not consist of 
more than two thousand, then of one thousand, after- 
ward of about five hundred, and finally it was reduced 



LAST C AMP-FIRE IN RUSSIA. 411 

to sixty men ; and yet Berthier, either designedly, or 
from mere routine, made no change in his instructions. 
These were always addressed to the commander of a 
corps of thirty-five thousand men ; in them he coolly 
detailed all the different positions which were to be 
taken up and guarded until the next day, by divisions 
and regiments which no longer existed. And every 
night, when pressed by Ney's urgent warnings, he was 
obliged to go and awake the King of Naples, and com- 
pel him to resume his march, he testified the same 
astonishment. 

In this manner did Ney support the retreat from 
Wiazma to Eve, and a few wersts beyond it. He 
attempted in vain to rally a few of them ; and he who 
had hitherto been almost the only one whose commands 
had been obeyed, was now compelled to follow it. 

He arrived along with it at Kowno, which was the 
last town of the Russian empire. Finally, on the 
13th of December, after marching forty-six days under 
the most terrible sufferings, they once more came in 
sight of a friendly country. Instantly, without halting 
or looking behind them, the greater part plunged into, 
and dispersed themselves in, the forests of Prussian 
Poland. Some there were, however, who, on their 
arrival on the friendly bank of the Niemen, turned 
round, and there, when they cast a last look on that 
land of horrors from which they were escaping, and 
found themselves on the same spot whence, five months 
before, their countless legions had taken their victorious 
flight, tears gushed from their eyes, and they broke out 
into exclamations of the most poignant sorrow. 



412 



CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 



Two kings, one prince, eight marshals, followed by a 
few officers, generals on foot, dispersed, and without 
attendants ; finally, a few hundred men of the old guard, 
still armed — these were its remains — these alone repre- 
sented the grand army. 

The camp-fires of the invaders in Russia were at an 
end. From Moscow to the Niemen they could be 
traced in circles of death. Every bivouac had its 
throng of victims, conquered more by the climate than 
the troops of Russia. Like a vast stream, which gradu- 
ally disappears in the ground as it flows, the grand 
army of four hundred thousand men had vanished 
amid the snows of Russia. Upon the banks of the 
Niemen, it lived only in Marshal Ney. 





rag 8AE1IP-FBIBIS AT? MlfggEL 



E have seen Napoleon, 
with the wreck of an 
army, a fugitive amid 
the frozen plains of 
Russia. A few month s 
have scarcely elapsed. 
It is April, 1813 ; and 
the Emperor of the 
French has taken the 
field at the head of 
three hundred and 
fifty thousand men, to beat back the enemies who have 

(413) 




" 



414 CAMP-FIRES OP NAPOLEON. 

arisen against him in the hour of his adversity. Once 
more, in spite of the retreat from Moscow, Europe 
trembles at his name. 

The allies have posted themselves between Leipsic 
and Dresden. Napoleon, with a hundred and fifteen 
thousand men under his immediate command, advances 
to the attack with his customary confidence and de- 
cision. Skirmishes took place at Weissenfels and Posen 
on the 29th of April, and the first of May. On the 
last day, the French approached the town of Lutzen, 
where Gustavus Adolphus had gained his final victory. 
The foremost column came upon the advanced guard of 
the allies, posted on the heights of Posen, and com- 
manding a defile through which it was necessary to 
pass. Marshal Bessieres, the commander of the Old 
Guard — the companion of Napoleon in so much glory — 
dashed forward to reconnoitre the enemy's position, 
when a cannon ball struck one of his aids, and killed 
him upon the spot. The marshal reined in his fiery 
charger. 

" Inter that brave man," said he, coolly ; but scarcely 
had the words passed his lips, when he was struck by 
a spent cannon ball, and he fell from his horse, a corpse. 
A white sheet was thrown over him to conceal his fea- 
tures from the soldiers whom he had so often led to 
glory. The body was conveyed to a neighboring 
house, and there it lay during the battle of the next 
day, when the Guard looked in vain for the manly 
form of their commander. Napoleon deeply regretted 
Bessieres. He ordered the body to be embalmed and 
sent to the Hotel des Invalides, whence he designed to 



LUTZEN. 415 

have it interred with great honors; but his fall pre- 
vented the execution of his intention. 

On the night of the first of May, the army under 
Napoleon encamped in order of battle, within sight of 
the camp-fires of the allies, near Lutzen. The centre 
was at a village called Kaya, under the command of 
Ney. It consisted of the young conscripts, supported 
by the Imperial Guard, with its new parks of artillery 
drawn up before the well known town of Lutzen. 
Marmont commanded the right. The left reached 
from Kaya to the Elster. The silence of night settled 
down upon the camp of the French. But the allies, 
encouraged by the presence of the Czar and the King 
of Prussia, had determined to take the offensive — a 
very unusual course for any enemy in the face of Na- 
poleon. While the French were reposing around their 
camp-fires, the Prussian general, Blucher, crossed the 
Elster. At daybreak, before Napoleon was stirring in 
his quarters, the French, in the centre, were startled by 
the furious assault of the enemy, who pushed their 
way through all obstacles, and were on the point of 
gaining possession of Kaya. The crisis was imminent. 
Napoleon, roused from slumber by intelligence of the 
attack, hurried in person to bring up the Guard to sus- 
tain the centre, while he moved forward the two wings, 
commanded by Macdonald and Bertrand, and supported 
by the tremendous batteries, so as to outflank and sur- 
round the main body of the allies. Thus began the 
battle of Lutzen. The struggle was fierce, and it 
endured for several hours. The village of Kaya was 
taken and retaken a number of times, but at length it 



416 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

remained in the hands of General Gerard. The stu- 
dents who were in the ranks of the allies, fought with 
desperate courage, and fell in great numbers. Schavn- 
hort, a noted Prussian general, was killed, and Blucher 
was wounded. The artillery of the French carried 
immense destruction into the ranks of the enemy, and, 
at length, fearing from Napoleon's manoeuvres, that 
they would be taken in flank, they beat a retreat, 
which they effected safely, but with much difficulty. 
They left twenty thousand dead upon the field. The 
loss of the French was not more than ten or twelve 
thousand men. The victory was not decisive, but it 
was glorious, and once more Napoleon's star shone with 
brilliant lustre, free from the shadow of defeat. 

The French army was ordered to encamp on the 
field of battle in squares, by divisions, in order to pro- 
vide against any sudden return of the enemy. Couriers 
were immediately sent off with the news of the victory 
to every friendly court in Europe. That night there 
was rejoicing around the camp-fires of the French. 
Napoleon once more received the congratulations of his, 
generals upon a victory, and he began to dream of a 
peaceful occupation of his imperial throne. 




tehs sAfiap-PQiBs &h ©MnrsEKu 



MFTER the victory of Lutzen, 
^Lrd Napoleon proposed a cessation 
of hostilities. But those allies 
who continually accused him of 
being always for war, rejected 
his conciliatory proposals, and 
*3??35PK#«^-'-**h ^solved to try the sword again. 
They entrenched their camps at 
Bautzen, and fax from attempting the offensive, which 

53 (417) 




/ 



418 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

they had found so perilous, they anxiously awaited 
reinforcements. In the meantime, Napoleon had entered 
Dresden in triumph. There he remained a week. 
Finding that all attempts at conciliation were fruitless, 
he then determined to prosecute the campaign vigor- 
ously. On the 18th of May, he commenced the march 
upon Bautzen, and on the 21st, he reached the position 
of the allies. They were posted in the rear of Bautzen, 
with the river Spree in front; a chain of wooded hills 
and various fortified eminences to the right and left 
were occupied. 

The action at this place commenced by the movement 
of a column of Italians, who were intended to turn the 
Prussian flank. This body, however, was attacked and 
dispersed before Marshal Ney could support them. The 
remainder of the day was spent by the French in passing 
the Spree, which was effected without molestation. The 
Emperor bivouacked in the town of Bautzen for the 
night. While the camp-fires of the French and their 
adversaries blazed near each other beyond the Spree, 
Napoleon called a council of his principal marshals, and 
after much deliberation, it was resolved to turn the 
camp of the enemy, instead of storming it. Day had 
just peeped in the east, and the fires had died out, 
when the dauntless Ney made a wide circuit to the right 
of the Russians, while Oudinot engaged their left, and 
Soult and the Emperor attacked the centre. The battle 
was fiercely fought. The Prussians, under the lead of 
the bold and pertinacious Blucher, kept their ground 
for four hours against the repeated charges of Soult. 
The slaughter was dreadful on both sides. ~At length, 



BAUTZEN. 419 

the Prussians were driven back, and the French were 
left in undisputed possession of the heights. Ney had 
now gained the rear of the allies, and he poured in mur- 
derous volleys of shot on their dispirited ranks. Panic 
stricken at this furious assault, they commenced their 
retreat, with such celerity as to gain time to rally on the 
roads leading to Bohemia. As night descended, the 
French shouted lustily for another victory. And there 
was revelry around the camp-fires of Napoleon's army. 
But the Emperor's heart was sorely touched. 

General Bruyeres, a gallant officer, had been stricken 
down in the joyous moment of victory, at the head of 
the Imperial Guard. But it was not for him that the 
Emperor wept. About seven in the evening, the grand 
marshal of the palace — the devoted Duroc — he who 
was dearer to Napoleon than even Lannes or Bes- 
sieres — was mortally wounded. He was standing on a 
slight eminence, and at a considerable distance from the 
firing, conversing with Marshal Mortier and General 
Kirgener, all three on foot, when a cannon ball, aimed 
at the group, ploughed up the ground near Mortier, 
ripped open Duroc's abdomen, and killed General Kir- 
gener. The grand marshal was conveyed to a lowly 
house as the victors encamped for the night. Napoleon 
was deeply affected when informed of the mournful 
event. He hastened to Duroc, who still breathed, and 
exhibited wonderful self-possession. Duroc seized the 
Emperor's hand and pressed it to his lips. " All my 
life," he said, " has been devoted to your service, and I 
only regret its loss for the use which it might still have 
been to you." 



420 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

" Duroc," replied the Emperor, " there is another life. 
It is there that you will await me, and that we will one 
day meet." 

" Yes, sire ; but that will be in thirty years, when 
you shall have triumphed over your enemies, and realized 
the hopes of our country. I have lived an honest 
man ; and have nothing to reproach myself with. I 
leave a daughter ; your majesty will be a father to her." 

Napoleon was deeply affected. He felt that the time 
was coming when he should need friends like Duroc. 
He took the right hand of the grand marshal in his own, 
and remained for a quarter of an hour with his head 
resting on the left hand of his old comrade, without 
being able to proffer a word. 

Duroc was the first to break the silence. He did so, 
in order to spare Napoleon any further laceration of 
mind. " Ah, sire," said he, " go hence ! This spectacle 
pains you !" 

Napoleon paused a moment, and then rose and said ; 

" Adieu, then, my friend !" and he required to support 
himself on Marshal Soult and Caulaincourt, in order to' 
regain his tent, where he would receive no person the 
whole night. He was again victorious. But he had 
lost his most faithful friends. His enemies were every 
day increasing in numbers, while he was only growing 
weaker by the gradual diminution of his forces ; but 
some of the generals, upon whom he was most accus- 
tomed to rely, were of doubtful fidelity. Victorious or 
not, he saw that the struggle was to be continued against 
fearful odds, and a cloud approached his star. 




TO§ SMBtP-ffMBB AT EBJDIHIFBIBSAIE 




DISTINGUISHED histo- 
rian, (Alison,) expresses 
the opinion that the great- 
est displays of Napoleon's 
genius were made during 
his first campaign in Italy, 
and the next to the last in 
his career, in France. In 
gj spite of his triumphs at 
Lutzen, Bautzen and Leip- 
sic, he was compelled to retreat upon France, into 
which he was followed by the overwhelming forces of 

(421) 



422 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the allies. His throne was threatened on all sides. 
His army was but a handful compared with that of his 
enemies. Yet by his lightning movements, masterly 
combinations and indomitable resolution, he gained a 
succession of dazzling victories, and for a time seemed 
likely to drive his foes from France. We can only 
show this astonishing man during one portion of this 
unparalleled campaign. 

It was the 16th of February, 1814. Having con- 
quered the Russians at Montmirail, Napoleon had left 
the Duke of Ragusa — the Judas of the Emperor — in 
command of that portion of the army, and flown to the 
army of the Seine, commanded by the Dukes of Bel- 
luno and Reggio. He proceeded to Guignes by way 
of Crecy and Fontenay. 

The inhabitants lined the road with carts, by the help 
of which the soldiers doubled their distances ; and the 
firing of cannon being heard, the artillery drove on at 
full speed. An engagement had been obstinately main- 
tained since noon by the Dukes of Belluno and Reggio, 
in the hope to keep possession of the road by which 
Napoleon was expected ; an hour later the junction of 
the forces would have been difficult. The arrival of the 
Emperor restored full confidence to the army of the 
Seine. That evening he contented himself with check- 
ing the allies before Guignes ; and the next morning 
the troops were seasonably reinforced by General Treil- 
hard's dragoons, who had been detached from the army 
in Spain. Couriers dispatched to Paris entered the 
suburbs escorted by crowds of people who had anx- 
iously assembled at Charenton. On the 17th tire troops 



MONTEREAU. 423 

quitted Guignes and marched forward. The allies 
instantly knew that Napoleon was returned. General 
Gerard's infantry, General Drouet's artillery, and the 
cavalry of the army of Spain did wonders. The enemy's 
columns were driven back in every direction, and left 
the road between Mormars and Provins covered with 
the slain. The Duke of Belluno had orders to carry 
the bridge of Montereau that same evening ; and the 
imperial guard lit their camp-fires round Nangis, the 
Emperor sleeping at the castle. 

In the course of the evening, one of those lutes by 
which he was too often inveigled arrived in the shape 
of a demand for a suspension of hostilities, brought by 
Count Parr from the Austrians. He availed himself of 
this opportunity of transmitting a letter from the Em- 
press to her father, and of writing one himself. Napo- 
leon at the same time, however, had spirit to write to 
Caulaincourt to revoke his carte blanche, saying it was 
to save the capital, but the capital was now saved ; that 
it was to avoid a battle, but that the battle had been 
fought, and that the negotiations must return to the 
ordinary course. The allies had the assurance to 
reproach Buonaparte with this, as a receding from his 
word according to circumstances, when they themselves 
encroached upon him with every new advantage and 
every hour, as fast as the drawing aside the veil of 
hypocrisy would let them. 

In the meantime, the Duke of Belluno was encamped 
at the bridge of Montereau; Early on the morning of 
the 18th, Napoleon was vexed to hear that the bridge 
was not yet captured ; but that the camp-fires of the 



424 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

duke were burning amidst troops at rest, when great 
efforts were demanded of them. The Emperor hurried 
to that point. But the Wurtemberg troops had estab- 
lished themselves there during the night. 

Napoleon ordered forward the Bretagne national 
guard and General Pajol's cavalry. General Gerard 
came up in time to support the attack, and Napoleon 
himself arrived to decide the victory. The troops took 
possession of the heights of Surville, which command 
the confluence of the Seine and the Yonne ; and batteries 
were mounted which dealt destruction on ,the Wurtem- 
berg force in Montereau. Napoleon himself pointed the 
guns. The enemy's balls hissed like the wind over the 
heights of Surville. The troops were fearful lest Napo- 
leon, giving way to the habits of his early life, should 
expose himself to danger \ but he only said, " Come on, 
my brave fellows, fear nothing ; the ball that is to kill 
me is not yet cast." The firing redoubled ; and under 
its shelter the Bretagne guards established themselves 
in the suburbs, while General Pajol carried the bridge 
by so vigorous a charge of cavalry, that there was not - 
time to blow up a single arch. The Wurtemberg troops, 
inclosed and cut to pieces in Montereau, vainly sum- 
moned the Austrians to their aid. This engagement 
was one of the most brilliant of the campaign. Their 
success encouraged the troops, roused the country peo- 
ple, and stimulated the ardor of the young officers ; but 
nothing could revive the spirits of the veteran chiefs. 
Hope does not return twice to the human breast. 
Several of the most distinguished officers were deeply 
depressed. 



MONTEREAU. 425 

Napoleon could no longer repress his dissatisfaction. 
He reproached General Guyot in the presence of the 
troops, with having suffered the enemy to surprise some 
pieces of artillery the preceding evening. He ordered 
General Digeon to be tried by a council of war for a 
failure of ammunition on the batteries : but afterwards 
tore the order. He sent the Duke of Belluno, who had 
suffered the Wurtembergers to surprise the bridge of 
Montereau before him, permission to retire ; and gave 
the command of his corps to General Gerard, who had 
greatly exerted himself during the campaign. The 
Duke repaired to Surville to appeal against this decision ; 
but Napoleon overwhelmed him with reproaches for 
neglect and reluctance in the discharge of his duties. 
The conduct of the Duchess was also made a subject 
of complaint; she was Lady of the Palace, and yet 
had withdrawn herself from the Empress, who, indeed, 
seemed to be quite forsaken by the new court. The 
Duke could not for some time obtain a hearing ; the 
recollections of Italy were appealed to in vain; but, 
mentioning the fatal wound which his son-in-law had 
received in consequence of his delay, the Emperor was 
deeply affected at hearing the name of General Chateau, 
and sympathized sincerely in the grief of the marshal. 
The Duke of Belluno resuming confidence, again pro- 
tested that he would never quit the army. "I can 
shoulder a musket," said he : "I have not forgotten the 
business of a soldier. Victor will range himself in the 
ranks of the Guard." These last words completely 
subdued Napoleon. "^Well, Victor," he said, stretching 
out his hand to him, " remain with me. I cannot restore 

54 



426 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the command of your corps, because I have appointed 
General Gerard to succeed you; but I give you the 
command of two divisions of the Guard ; and now let 
every thing be forgotten between us." 

The Emperor was victorious. But victory only 
served to fill him with false hopes. He triumphed 
again and again. But it was of no avail. The forces 
of the enemy were overwhelming ; and at the moment 
when it seemed most likely that he could save France, 
the disgusting treachery of Marmont and Augereau, 
two men whom he had raised from the dust, as it 
were, brought about his ruin. He found, like many 
other great characters of history, in their hour of ad- 
versity, that the men who were most indebted to him 
were the men upon whom it were most unsafe to rely. 





■ffffilB SASBIP-PllIES at &iB®as< 



I :y ^)^ x ^HILE the allies held anxious 
councils, and were filled with 
apprehensions at almost eve- 
ry movement of Napoleon in 
his mighty struggle for his 
throne, he continued to strike 
vigorous blows at his throng- 
ing enemies. He triumphed 
at Craonne, and took posses- 
sion of Rheims. The Austrians, under Schwartzenberg, 

(427) 




428 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

were compelled to retreat. On the 17th of March, 
Napoleon broke up his head-quarters at Rheims, and 
advanced by Epernay to attack the rear of the Austrian 
army. On the 20th, his advanced guard encountered 
an Austrian division at Arcis-sur-Aube. The conflict 
became fierce. The Austrians brought up fresh bat- 
talions, supported by cannon ; and Napoleon found that 
instead of attacking a rear guard in retreat, he was in 
front of the whole of the grand army in its advance on 
Paris. 

This was unfortunate for the Emperor's calculations. 
He conceived himself to be acting upon the retreat 
of the allies, and expected only to find a rear guard at 
Arcis ; he was even talking jocularly of making his 
father-in-law prisoner during his retreat. If, contrary 
to his expectation, he should find the enemy, or any 
considerable part of them, still upon the Aube, it was, 
from all he had heard, to be supposed his appearance 
would precipitate their retreat towards the frontier. It 
has also been asserted, that he expected Marshal 
Macdonald to make a corresponding advance from the' 
banks of the Seine to those of the Aube ; but the orders 
had been received too late to admit of the necessary 
space being traversed so as to arrive on the morning of 
the day of battle. 

Napoleon easily drove before him such bodies of fight 
cavalry, and sharp-shooters, as had been left by the 
allies, rather for the purpose of reconnoitring than of 
making any serious opposition. He crossed the Aube 
at Plancey, and moved upwards, along the left bank of 
the river, with Ney's corps, and his whole cavalry, while 



arcis. 429 

the infantry of the guard advanced upon the right ; his 
army being thus, according to the French military 
phrase, a-cheval, upon the Aube. The town of Arcis 
had been evacuated by the allies upon his approach, 
and was occupied by the French on the morning of the 
20th March. That town forms the outlet of a sort of 
defile, where a succession of narrow bridges cross a 
number of drains, brooks, and streamlets, the feeders of 
the river Aube, and a bridge in the town crosses the 
river itself. On the other side of Arcis is a plain, in 
which some few squadrons of cavalry, resembling a 
reconnoitring party, were observed manoeuvring. 

Behind these horses, at a place called Clermont, the 
Prince Royal of Wurtemberg, whose name has been so 
often honorably mentioned, was posted with his division, 
while the elite of the allied army was drawn up on a 
chain of heights still farther in the rear, called Mesnil 
la Comptesse. But these corps were not apparent to 
the vanguard of Napoleon's army. The French cavalry 
had orders to attack the light troops of the allies ; but 
these were instantly supported by whole regiments, and 
by cannon, so that the attack was unsuccessful ; and the 
squadrons of the French were repulsed and driven back 
on Arcis at a moment, when, from the impediments in 
the town and its environs, the infantry could with diffi- 
culty debouch from the town to support them. Napo- 
leon showed, as he always did in extremity, the same 
heroic courage which he had exhibited at Lodi and 
Brienne. He drew his sword, threw himself among the 
broken cavalry, called on them to remember their former 
victories, and checked the enemy by an impetuous 



430 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

charge, in which he and his ( staff officers fought hand to 
hand with their opponents, so that he was in personal 
danger from the lance of a Cossack, the thrust of which 
was averted by his aid-de-camp, Girardin. His Mame- 
luke, Rustan, fought stoutly by his side, and received a 
gratuity for his bravery. These desperate exertions 
afforded time for the infantry to debouch from the town. 
The Imperial Guards came up, and the combat waxed 
very warm. The superior numbers of the allies ren- 
dered them the assailants on all points. A strongly 
situated village in front, and somewhat to the left of 
Arcis, called Grand Torcy, had been occupied by the 
French. This place was repeatedly and desperately 
attacked by the allies, but the French made good their 
position. Arcis itself was set on fire by the shells of 
the assailants ; and night alone separated the combatants 
by inducing the allies to desist from the attack. 

The French remained masters of the field, which 
they had maintained against nearly treble their num- 
ber. They had not gained a victory, but they had 
fought one of their most glorious battles, and Napoleon 
had displayed not only the full blaze of his genins, but 
had shown the allies that he was still the valorous hero 
of Areola. Many of the houses of Arcis were blazing 
when the wearied heroes kindled their camp-fires along 
the Aube. Upon the distant heights of Mesnil la 
Comptesse, the watch-fires of the enemy were to be 
seen, and the sky was redly illumined as far as the 
eye could penetrate. Napoleon had retired to his 
head-quarters, to rest his weary body, but not to sleep. 
He had but twenty-seven thousand men, and he was 



ARCIS. 431 

before a strong position, occupied by eighty thousand 
troops. He was busy in examining his maps, when an 
aid, Girardin, entered and announced the arrival of 
Marshals Macdonald and Oudinot, and General Gerard, 
with their detachments. A few moments afterwards, 
those brave commanders entered. Napoleon received 
them with much apparent gratification. Others of his 
generals also arrived, and a council was held to deter- 
mine upon the course to be pursued. Macdonald was 
the most influential of the Emperor's advisers at this 
time. His great good sense,, cool, steady courage, and 
honest heart, had won upon Napoleon's favor, and he 
listened to his counsel with much attention and con- 
sideration. In a former part of his career, he had 
treated Macdonald very unjustly. In his darker hours, 
he found the marshal's great worth, and ever afterwards 
spoke of him in the highest terms. 

The character of Macdonald could be read in his broad, 
Scotch countenance. His expression was honest, pene- 
trating and determined. He was above all meanness. 
He lacked enthusiasm ; but he had a mind that could 
calmly work in the midst of the most terrible excite- 
ment. He never appeared to be ruffled. The tone of 
his voice was always dry, even, and steady, as if it was 
out of the power of the ordinary human emotions to 
gain an influence over him. Napoleon eagerly asked the 
advice of the renowned marshal, and received a prompt 
reply — that retreat was necessary ; and it would be 
well if it could be effected in the face of an overwhelm- 
ing enemy. Oudinot and Gerard concurred in Mac- 
donald's opinion ; indeed, there seemed to be a prevailing 



432 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

idea, that immediate retreat was necessary, and Napo- 
leon acquiesced. But the manner of it was not so easy 
to determine. The army was in a difficult position. 
The line of retreat on either side of the Aube was ren- 
dered dangerous by the numerous defiles, where an 
enemy might attack with advantage. Finally, it was 
decided to retreat on both sides of the Aube, as a method 
of presenting a smaller mark to an enemy in pursuit, 
and of hurrying through the dangerous defiles. The 
council then dissolved into a conversational party, but 
the spirits of the generals seemed under the shadow of 
a cloud. There was scarcely one of them who did not 
apprehend a speedy termination of the fearful struggle 
in which they were engaged. To all Napoleon's expres- 
sions of his grand designs, for which he had no means, 
they gave the reply of a shake of the head, or indicated 
the obstacles. Napoleon could see that their enthusiasm 
and confidence had been dissipated by the disasters 
which their glorious efforts had been unable to avert 
from the French arms. The demeanor of the Emperor 
was calm and dignified. He was Emperor of France 
and at the head of an army still. He was even vic- 
torious. But there was no lightness in his look or 
speech. 

At daybreak the camp-fires of the army were extin- 
guished, and the order of retreat given. It was a mas- 
terly exploit. With his small army, the Emperor 
retreated through the difficult defiles, in the face of a 
whole Austrian army ; and though pursued and annoyed, 
sustained but little loss. 

But what availed these miracles of generalship? The 



arcis. 433 

struggle was quickly decided, by irresistible numbers 
and sickening treachery. 

Paris was surrendered by Marmont, while still capable 
of defence, and the enemy gained possession of Lyons by 
the same means. All hope was lost, and the Emperor was 
advised by Macdonald and others of his most faithful 
friends, to comply with the terms of the allies and abdi- 
cate his throne. He resisted as long as there was a 
shadow of hope, and then obeyed stern necessity. The 
enemies of France were supreme. The sovereign of 
her choice was consigned to the little island of Elba, 
and the detested Bourbons were restored in the person 
of Louis XVIII. 

We will not dwell upon the leave-taking of the 
Emperor — how he kissed the eagles, and embraced the 
veterans of Fontainebleau. It is not within our scope. 
It is enough to know, that such victories as Montereau, 
Arcis and Montmirai], won in the last hours of his 
imperial power, sustained the glory of Napoleon's 
genius, and proved that no treason, "coming like a 
blight over the councils of the brave," could annihilate 
his title to immortal remembrance. 





TEH 8MBP-IFBIBB AT wi&}imm®< 



iAjlAPOLEON had returned 

|]\J to France. He had landed 

at Cannes with but a few 

soldiers as a guard ; but he 

had been swept up to the 

imperial throne of Paris 

upon a mighty wave of 

popular enthusiasm. All 

Europe had arisen in arms 

against the choice of the 

nation. The campaign of the Hundred Days had 

commenced. At the head of a hundred and twenty 

(434) 




WATERLOO. 435 

thousand men, the Emperor had advanced to attack 
Wellington and Blucher, with two hundred and fifty 
thousand. 

In order to escape from the danger which might result 
from too great an inferiority of numbers, Napoleon 
strove, from the commencement of the campaign, to 
separate the English from the Prussians, and manoeuvred 
actively to throw himself between them. His plan was 
strikingly successful on the 16th at the battle of Ligny ; 
Blucher, being attacked alone, was completely beaten, 
and left twenty-five thousand men on the field of battle. 
But this enormous loss did not materially enfeeble an 
army which had such masses of soldiers in line, and 
behind, still more numerous reserves. In the position 
in which the Emperor found himself, he required a more 
decisive advantage, a victory which should annihilate 
the army of Blucher, and allow him to fall upon Wel- 
lington next, in order to crush him in his turn. This 
successive defeat of the English and Prussians had been 
most skilfully prepared by the orders and instructions 
he dispatched on all sides. But, we cannot too often 
repeat it, his destiny was accomplished ; and fatal mis- 
understandings deceived the calculations of his genius. 
Moreover, he had himself a presentiment that some 
unforeseen incident would disarrange his combinations, 
and that fortune had more disasters in store for him. 
" It is certain that in these circumstances," he said to 
his suite, " I had no longer in myself that definitive feel- 
ing; there was nothing of former confidence." His 
presentiments were too soon realized. 

At daybreak on the 17th, Grouchy, at the head of 



436 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

thirty-four thousand men, was dispatched in pursuit of 
the enemy, who had fled in two columns by way 
of Tilly and Grembloux, with orders to proceed to 
Wavres. About seven in the morning, the Emperor 
galloped forward with Count Lobau's cavalry towards 
Quatre-Bras, which place he expected to find in posses- 
sion of Ney ; the latter, however, had not been able to 
retrieve his error of the 16th, and remained facing the 
position of the British, although now occupied only by 
their rear-guard, which made off as soon as its com- 
mander perceived the approach of Lobau's horsemen. 
Pursuit was immediately given, Napoleon hoping that 
he might yet be able to overtake and defeat the Eng- 
lish. In consequence of the state of the roads, from 
the heavy rains, it was near four o'clock before the 
retreating column reached the plain of Waterloo, and 
nearly seven before the troops were in position on the 
rising ground in front of Mount St. Jean. 

That night the English bivouacked on the field they 
were to maintain in the battle of the morrow. Between 
six and seven, Napoleon reached Planchenois; and 
perceiving the enemy established in position, fixed his 
head-quarters at the farm of Cailloux, and posted his 
followers on the heights around La Belle Alliance. 
The reinforcements received by the Duke of Welling- 
ton during the 16th and 17th, had raised his army to 
seventy-five thousand men, who were supported by 
two hundred and fifty pieces of cannon. Napoleon's 
forces have been estimated at seventy thousand men, 
and about two hundred and forty pieces of cannon ; it 
must, however, be borne in mind, that the Duke could 



WATERLOO. 437 

not depend on the Belgian, Nassau, and Hanoverian 
troops. 

"Never," says Alison, "was a more melancholy 
night passed by soldiers than that which followed the 
halt of the two armies in then respective positions on 
the night of the 17th of June, 1815. 

" The whole of that day had been wet and cloudy ; 
but towards evening the rain fell in torrents, insomuch 
that, in traversing the road from Quartre-Bras to 
Waterloo, the soldiers were often ankle deep in water. 
When the troops arrived at their ground, the passage 
of the artillery, horse, and wagons over the drenched 
surface had so completely cut it up, that it was almost 
every where reduced to a state of mud, interspersed in 
every hollow with large pools of water. Cheerless and 
dripping as was the condition of the soldiers, who had 
to lie down for the night in such a situation, it was 
preferable to that of those battalions who were stationed 
in the rye-fields, where the grain was for the most part 
three or four feet high, and soaking wet from top to 
bottom. The ground occupied by the French soldiers 
was not less drenched and uncomfortable. But how 
melancholy soever may have been their physical situa- 
tion, not one feeling of despondency pervaded the 
breasts either of the British or French soldiers. Such 
was the interest of the moment, the magnitude of the 
stake at issue, and the intensity of the feelings in 
either army, that the soldiers were almost insensible to 
physical suffering. Every man in both armies was 
aware that the retreat was stopped, and that a decisive 
battle would be fought on the following day. The great 



438 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

contest of two-and-twenty years' duration was now to 
be brought to a final issue : retreat after disaster would 
be difficult, if not impossible, to the British army, 
through the narrow defile of the forest of Soignies : 
overthrow was ruin to the French. The two great 
commanders, who had severally overthrown every 
antagonist, were now for the first time to be brought 
into collision ; the conqueror of Europe was to measure 
swords with the deliverer of Spain. Nor were sanguine 
hopes and the grounds of well-founded confidence 
wanting to the troops of either army. The French 
relied with reason on the extraordinary military talents 
of their chief, on his long and glorious career, and on 
the unbroken series of triumphs which had carried 
their standards to every capital in Europe. Nor had 
recent disasters weakened this undoubting trust, for the 
men who now stood side by side were almost all vete- 
rans tried in a hundred combats : the English prisons 
had restored the conquerors of Continental Europe to 
his standard, and for the first time since the Russian 
retreat, the soldiers of Austerlitz and Wagram were 
again assembled round his eagles. The British soldiers 
had not all the same mutual dependence from tried 
experience, for a large part of them had never seen a 
shot fired in battle. But they were not on that account 
the less confident. They relied on the talent and 
firmness of their chief, who they knew, had never been 
conquered, and whose resources the veterans in their 
ranks told them would prove equal to any emergency. 
They looked back with animated pride to the unbroken 
career of victory which had attended the British- arms 



WATERLOO. 439 

since they first landed in Portugal, and anticipated the 
keystone to their arch of fame from the approaching 
conflict with Napoleon in person. They were sanguine 
as to the result ; but, come what may, they were resolute 
not to be conquered. Never were two armies of such 
fame, under leaders of such renown, and animated by 
such heroic feelings, brought into contact in modern 
Europe, and never were interests so momentous at issue 
in the strife." 

The field of Waterloo, rendered immortal by the battle 
which was fought on the following day, extends about 
two miles in length from the old chateau, walled garden, 
and inclosures of Hougoumont on the right, to the 
extremity of the hedge of La Haye Sainte on the left. 
The great chaussee from Brussels to Charleroi runs 
through the centre of the position, which is situated 
somewhat less than three quarters of a mile to the south 
of the village of Waterloo, and three hundred yards in 
front of the farm-house of Mount St. Jean. This road, 
after passing through the centre of the British line, goes 
through La Belle Alliance and the hamlet of Ros- 
somme, where Napoleon spent the night. The position 
occupied by the British army, followed very nearly the 
crest of a range of gentle eminences, cutting the high 
road at right angles, two hundred yards behind the 
farm-house of La Haye Sainte, which adjoins the high- 
way, and formed the centre of the position. An un- 
paved country road ran along this great summit, form- 
ing nearly the line occupied by the British troops, and 
which proved of great use in the course of the battle. 
Their position had this great advantage, that the 



440 CAMP-FIKES OF NAPOLEON. 

infantry could rest on the reverse of the crest of the 
ridge, in a situation in great measure screened from the 
fire of the French artillery ; while their own guns on 
the crest swept the whole slope, or natural glacis, which 
descended to the valley. in their front. The French 
army occupied a corresponding line of ridges, nearly 
parallel, on the opposite side of the valley, stretching 
on either side of the hamlet of La Belle Alliance. The 
summit of these ridges afforded a splendid position for 
the French artillery to fire upon the English guns ; but 
their attacking columns, in descending the one hill and 
mounting the other, would of necessity be exposed to 
a very severe cannonade from the opposite batteries. 
The French army had an open country to retreat over 
in case of disaster; while the British, if defeated, 
would in all probability lose their whole artillery in the 
defiles of the forest of Soignies, although the intrica- 
cies of that wood afforded an admirable defensive posi- 
tion for a broken array of foot soldiers. The French 
right rested on the village of Planchenois, which is of 
considerable extent, and afforded a very strong defen- 
sive position to resist the Prussians, in case they should 
so far recover from the disaster of the preceding day 
as to be able to assume offensive operations and menace 
the extreme ^French right. 

This is an admirable picture of the position and con- 
dition of the respective armies which were to decide 
the fate of Europe. It could not be improved. 

The farm-house of Cailloux, in which the Emperor 
was busy with his maps and plans, and surrounded by 
his celebrated marshals, was surrounded with the meagre 



WATERLOO. 4-11 

fires which the guard had kindled ; but the rain fre- 
quently extinguished them and drove many of the 
veterans to seek the shelter of sheds. 

Napoleon displayed all his usual activity and dis- 
patch. He dictated orders to be conveyed to the dif- 
ferent commanders of columns with the rapidity of 
lightning. Every body near him was kept in a state of 
feverish excitement, except the calm and steady Soult, 
whom it seemed impossible to move. There, too, was 
the stalwart Ney, whom the storms of battle could not 
even scar — ready for any duty, no matter how hopeless 
the performance. There also was the brave but reckless 
Jerome, who was destined to earn a high fame on the 
morrow. Berthier, who had so long been a fixture by 
the side of Napoleon, was not there, he had deserted 
the man from whose glory he had borrowed beams 
But there was Maret, Bertrand, the steady Drouot, of 
the Old Guard, Gorgaud and Labedoyere — a galaxy of 
bravery and talent — such as was wont to surround the 
Emperor. All were busy noting down instructions, and 
replying to the swift questions of the tireless man 
whom they obeyed. Without, the rain was heard drip- 
ping incessantly. Drouot let fall an expression of 
opinion that, in consequence of the deluge, the ground 
would be impracticable for artillery. 

" We shall see, it is not yet morning," replied the 
Emperor. Then he leaned his head upon his hand, and 
thought— perhaps in the way of presentiment of dis- 
aster — but no expression of apprehension escaped his 
lips. Grouchy would keep Blucher m check, and 
Wellington would be crushed. Fortune might yet be 

56 



442 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

ffivorable. But the heavens had quenched the last 
camp-fire of Napoleon. 

About ten o'clock at night. Napoleon sent a dispatch 
to Grouchy, to announce that the Anglo-Belgian army 
had taken post in advance of the forest of Soignes, 
with its left resting on the hamlets of La Haye and 
Ohain, where Wellington seemed determined on the 
next day to give battle ; Grouchy was, therefore, 
required to detach from his corps, about two hours 
before daybreak, a division of seven thousand men, and 
sixteen pieces of artillery, with orders to proceed to St. 
Lambert ; and, after putting themselves in communica- 
tion with the right of the grand army, to operate on the 
left of the British. 

Meanwhile, the Duke of Wellington being in com- 
munication with Blucher, was promised by him that the 
Prussian army should advance to support the British on 
the morning of the 18th. 

The rain, which had not ceased during the night, 
cleared off about five o'clock in the morning; and at 
eight it was reported by the officers who had been sent 
to inspect the field, that the ground was practicable 
for artillery. The Emperor instantly mounted his 
horse, and rode forward towards La Haye Sainte, to 
reconnoitre the British line. 

By half-past ten o'clock the two armies were arrayed, 
and impatient for orders to commence the battle. The 
Emperor proceeded to the heights of Bosomme, where 
he dismounted to obtain a clear view of the whole field ; 
and there stationed his guard, as a reserve, to act where 
emergency might require. Meanwhile, the English 



WATERLOO. 443 

remained silent and steady, waiting the commands of 
their chief; who, with telescope in hand, stood beneath 
a tree, near the cross-road, in front of his position, 
watching the movements of his opponents. 

The village clock of Nivelles was striking eleven 
when the first gun was fired from the French centre. 
Then followed a tremendous rattle of musketry, as the 
brave Jerome led the column on the left to the attack 
on Hougomont, and drove the Nassau troops before 
him. The chateau and gardens, however, were bravely 
defended by a division of English guards, who were not 
to be dislodged. The fight, raged here more or less 
during the day, till at length the chateau was set on 
fire by the shells of the French, and it was found neces- 
sary to abandon it. 

Napoleon, who was anxiously watching the first 
movement of his troops, was interrupted by an aid-de- 
camp, sent by Ney, who had been charged to attack the 
enemy's centre, arriving at full gallop to announce that 
every thing was in readiness, and the marshal only wait- 
ing the signal to attack. For a moment the Emperor 
glanced round the field, and perceived in the direction 
of St. Lambert, a moving cloud advancing on the left 
of the English : pointing it out to Soult, he asked 
whether he conceived it to be Grouchy or Blucher ? 
The marshal being in doubt, Generals Domont and 
Subervie were dispatched with their divisions of light 
cavalry, with orders to clear the way in the event of its 
being Grouchy, and if Blucher, to keep him in check. 

Ney was then ordered to march to the attack of La 
Haye Sainte ; after taking that post with the bayonet, 



144 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

and leaving a division of infantry, he was to proceed to 
the farms of Papelotte and La Haye, and place his 
troops between those of Wellington and Bulow. With 
his usual promptitude, the Prince of the Moskowa had 
in a few moments opened a battery of eighty cannon 
upon the left centre of the English line. The havoc 
occasioned by this deadly fire was so immense, that 
Wellington was obliged to draw back his men to the 
reverse slope of the hill on which they had stood, in 
order to screen them from its effects. The Count 
d'Erlon, under cover of the fire, advanced along the 
Genappe road ; but as they ascended the position of 
La Haye Sainte, the Duke of Wellington directed against 
them a charge of cavalry, which speedily drove one 
column back into the hollow. 

The English guards were in turn repulsed by a bri- 
gade of Milhaucl's cuirassiers, and galloping onwards, 
attacked the infantry ; the horsemen not being able to 
make an impression on the squares formed for their 
reception, while they were themselves exposed to an 
incessant fire of musketry. One of D'Erlon's unbroken 
columns pushed forward, meanwhile, beyond La Haye 
Sainte, upon which it made no attack, and charging one 
Belgian and three Dutch regiments, drove them from 
their posts in disorder, and took possession of the 
heights. Sir Thomas Picton was now sent to dislodge 
the enemy, and being supported by a brigade of heavy 
cavalry, the French, after firing a volley, paused, 
wheeled, and fled in confusion. Many were cut down 
by the guards ; while seven guns, two eagles, and about 
two thousand prisoners were taken. The British, how- 




THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 



Page 444. 



WATERLOO. 445 

ever, pursued their success too far; and becoming 
involved among the infantry, were attacked by a body 
of cuirassiers, in their turn broken, and forced to retire 
with great loss. 

Although for the time, Ney was deprived of his artil- 
lery, he continued to advance upon La Haye Sainte. 
For three hours, this important position, and the part 
of the field which it commanded, was hotly contested 
by both parties, the hill being now held by the English, 
and now by 7 the French. The contest, which shortly 
extended itself along the whole front of the British line, 
became of the most desperate character. Whole bat- 
talions fell as they stood in line; and the cries and 
groans of the wounded and dying were heard even 
above the incessant roll of the musketry, and the thun- 
der of the artillery. 

Napoleon, who had returned to the rising ground to 
watch the progress of the battle, fancying he beheld 
indications of the enemy's retreat, ordered Kellerman 
to advance with all his cuirassiers immediately, to sup- 
port the cavalry between Mount St. Jean and La Haye- 
Sainte. The dragoons galloping forward, drove the 
English from their guns, and furiously charged the 
squares of infantry behind. Notwithstanding the deadly 
shower which thinned their ranks, the cuirassiers ap- 
peared determined to succeed in their purpose ; and re- 
turned again and again, riding round the squares, and 
penetrating even to the second British line ; the infantry, 
however, was immovable : and after sustaining frightful 
carnage, the cuirassiers were compelled to retire. The 
conflict now rather abated, until near six o'clock, and 



446 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

the chiefs of each army were anxiously expecting rein 
forcements. Domont, Lobau, and Subervic had effec- 
tually checked Bulow on the French right ; but there 
was no sign of Grouchy making his appearance, and it 
was soon discovered that Blucher had come up with 
the main body of his army, and that the French opposed 
to him could not long maintain their ground. News 
was received from Grouchy, that instead of leaving 
Gembloux at day-break, according to his previously 
stated intentions, he had delayed there till half-past nine, 
and then pursued the road to "Wavres, being unacquainted 
with the Emperors engagement at Waterloo. The 
crisis of the battle now approached, and Napoleon saw 
that nothing but the most consummate skill and desperate 
valor could save his army from ruin. His preparations 
were, therefore, commenced for the final struggle. A 
series of movements, changing the whole front of his 
army, so as to face both Prussians and English, was the 
result of his first orders. Napoleon next formed the 
infantry of the Imperial Guard, which had not yet been 
brought into action, at the foot of the position of La 
Belle Alliance, into two columns, and led them forward 
in person, to a ravine which crossed the Genappe road, 
in front of the British lines. Here he relinquished the 
command to Ney, at the entreaty of his officers ; the 
Marshal, who had had five horses shot under him during 
the day, advanced on foot. A heavy discharge of ar- 
tillery announced that they were in motion; the British 
guns soon commenced a most destructive firing on the 
troops, which committed dreadful havoc. Although 
their numbers were thinned at every step, the- guards 



WATERLOO. 447 

continued to advance, and soon gained the rising ground 
of Mount St. Jean, where the English awaited their 
assault. The French bands played the Imperial march, 
and the troops ruched on with loud shouts of " Vive V 
Emioereur /" The Belgian, Dutch, and Brunswick troops 
gave way instantly, and the Duke of Wellington was 
compelled to rally them in person. Before the Imperial 
Guard could deploy, he gave the word for the British 
infantry to advance ; the men, who had been lying pros- 
trate on the hill, or resting on their arms on the slope, 
sprang forward, and closing around Ney, and his gallant 
followers, poured into their ranks a continuous stream 
of bullets. The guard attempting to deploy, were thrown 
into confusion, and rushed in a crowd to the hollow road 
in front of La Haye Sainte, whence they were speedily 
driven. In this desperate charge, Ney's uniform and 
hat were riddled with balls. In the meantime, Blucher 
had pressed forward, and driven the few French from 
the hamlet of La Haye ; and his advanced guard already 
communicated with the British left. Bulow, who had 
been repulsed from Planchenois, but was now reinforced, 
was again advancing. Wellington, having assumed the 
offensive, was advancing at the head of his whole army. 
It already grew dusk; the French had every where 
given way : the guard, never before vanquished, had 
been routed by the stern troops of Britain ; and night 
brought with it terror and despair. It having been re- 
ported that the Old Guard had yielded, a panic suddenly 
spread throughout the French lines, and the fatal cry 
of " Sauve qui pent /" was raised, and becoming universal 
discipline and courage were forgotten, and a wild flight 



448 CAMP-FIRES OF NAPOLEON. 

ensued. The cavalry and artillery of the English and 
Prussians now scattered death on all sides. The ven- 
geance of the latter was unsatiated, and these scoured 
the field, making fearful- carnage, and giving no quarter. 
The Old Guard was yet unbroken, and Napoleon lingered 
on the ground. Prince Jerome, who had fought bravely 
throughout the day, urged him to an act of desperation. 
" Here, brother," said he, " all who bear the name of 
Bonaparte should fall !" Napoleon, who was on foot, 
mounted his horse, but his soldiers would not listen to 
any proposal involving his death : and at length, an 
aid-de-camp seizing his bridle, led him at a gallop from 
the field. Tie arrived at Genappe shortly before ten 
o'clock at night, where he again attempted to rally ; but 
the confusion was so great as to be utterly irremediable. 
The pursuit of the French was continued far into the 
night by the Prussians. Nine times, the wearied fugi- 
tives halted, kindled fires and prepared to bivouac. Nine 
times they were startled by the dreadful sound of the 
Prussian trumpet, and obliged to continue their flight. 
The star that had arisen at Toulon, and shone resplen- 
dent over Lodi, Marengo, Jena, Wagram, Borodino, and 
a throng of other sanguinary fields — had sunk forever. 
It is painful to trace the career of fallen greatness. We 
will not follow the Emperor, shorn of his purple, to his 
prison at St. Helena, where a deadly climate did the 
work that the leaden storms of a hundred fights had 
refused to perform. We will not go to that bed of death, 
from which, while the elements were at terrible war, 
that stormy spirit was carried away. Leave Hannibal 
at Zama, and Napoleon at Waterloo. 




DEATH OF NAPOLEON. 



Page 448. 



